Sync or swim
~ we are not a machine, we're the whole assembly line; and when it all matters most, all of it’s parts are moving
We talk about complexities like they are external to our reality, something out there, in business models or engines.
But it’s always internalized.
We are complete systems.
We are our moving parts, fully self-sufficient without all those other things, though we feel enmeshed in them, we must remember not to be ground to pieces by them …
A moment of indecision.
A rush of adrenaline.
A gut feeling, then a pivot.
Is that intuition or just impulse?
What drives that, and who’s actually in charge?
“Many moving parts.” It sounds mechanical. Factory talk. Project management speak. But the phrase fits much more than Gantt charts and production lines.
Think about your own life.
There’s the head: logic, lists, plans.
The gut: instincts, worries, truths you can’t rationalize.
The feet: where we go, when we act, how we move forward. How we spend, vote, or exit.
None of them work in isolation. Yet we treat our decision-making like it’s a linear process. As if thinking hard enough will iron out what our stomach is churning about, or that action alone will resolve a hesitation we never quite understood.
What if the complexity isn’t an enemy, but the evidence?
Proof that comes with questions as well as answers to confirm that we’re alive, connected, part of systems we can’t fully map or measure.
We build organizations, partnerships, communities, and even families. We do this as if they’ll operate cleanly and predictably. We name roles, define lanes, and assign responsibilities. But we forget: every system, even a tight one, includes people. And people come with nuance, friction, and unpredictability.
So do our days. A friend cancels. A meeting gets moved, and a memory surfaces. A door opens that we weren’t looking for.
Or, a door slams hard!
In business, in life, in relationships, it’s not the moving parts that get in our way. It’s about believing they shouldn’t be moving.
Because everything is in motion. Always.
Alignment isn’t about fixing things into place.
It’s about acknowledging interdependence and navigating with respect for what we can’t fully control.
Musing readers, here is your take‑away for today:
Our life isn’t a machine to fine-tune. It’s a system to engage, with all gears meshing or grinding, and with all the friction, grace, and motion that implies.
Stability is a myth we chase while riding the rhythm of constant change.
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