Mundane Moments
The mundane and sacred.
By Matthew Laffer
July 29, 2020
The philosopher and writer, Alan Watts said, “The mundane and the sacred are one and the same.” On the surface this appears to be a paradox. But like most paradoxes, universal truths lie beneath the surface. Watts’ comments ring true in Zen philosophy and in coaching.
After thousands of coaching sessions with hundreds of startup executives around the world, here are three things that I’ve learned about the most mundane and sacred moments of coaching.
1. Pause is a portal.
In a world where we’re always on, we sometimes forget to press pause. In pause, a different kind of time emerges. You don’t get more of it, but you get more from it. Pause is a welcome intrusion, an opening, a portal to slow down, breathe, explore options, expand choice, and to sink our teeth into meatier matters. Pause is also a source of mental clarity that gives more meaning to our experience. Pause is an internal button. By pressing pause we become more resilient and better equipped to handle the challenge of others pressing our external buttons.
Being busy is like pushing the fast-forward button and remains a false proxy for measuring productivity. Without a pause, everything continues as it was. Until people begin to press pause, they can’t ever truly start. Coaching creates the ideal conditions to start.
2. Patience creates a virtuoso.
I love the moment during a session when the conversation feels like lingering around a fork in the road as if we have all the time in the world. Free from worry, unattached to a path, and exploring patiently. And then it happens! The path forward is revealed. For many it feels like magic. How did that happen? The ‘magic’ is a profound amount of almost nothing made up of part vanishing act and part patience. When stress disappears, the answers will appear deep within a slow tempo.
Steering clear of those vexed in spirit and lingering around someone of ease with nothing but time can be endlessly rewarding in music too. The magic of Rick Rubin, record producer and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, is in what he doesn’t do. From the very beginning of Rick’s influential record producing career, it’s been about reduction and patience. Above you can see the back cover of LL Cool J’s debut album; Radio bears the legend “Reduced by Rick Rubin”.
3. Sometimes no goal is the best goal.
When someone says, “I’m not sure what we should focus on today” I can hear opportunity kicking down the door. Often, we’re too quick out of the starting blocks. What is the race we’re running? Is it a sprint or a marathon? And what are we running toward? And, more importantly, why are we running toward it? How surprisingly complicated such seemingly simple questions can be.
We move too fast into problem solving mode. Have we even identified the right problem? Will this solve the root cause of the problem or are we only addressing the symptoms. Are we asking the right questions?
Sometimes having no goal and slowing down will open up entirely new worlds. After founding three companies and coaching dozens of startups, pause can no longer be considered a luxury, but essential to our quality of work and life.
Matthew Laffer is a 3x entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO at Goalspriing.
