Leading with Grace: Lessons from the Far North

How do we access grace, this rare juncture, where the power of boldness, and the ease of effortlessness, can merge as one?

Chopping wood.  The ice cool beneath my knees, the snow has been swept clear in a wide ring, to make this chopping area, here on this northern lake.  Our sled dogs, tethered between ash trees out of a chill wind, are already curled nose under tail, burrowed for the night.

Our human team still works as dusk gathers: sawing and splitting wood, cutting through the ice for water, pitching shelters.  Three trees, brought out to the ice, each thigh diameter, will be our fuel for the night.  And so I kneel, in this quiet circle, axe in leather-mittened hands, breath frosty, and chop wood.  Each piece a reminder to bring balance, to find that still point where the block of wood will stand and wait, my hands free, to yield the axe above, and then, to let its weight do the work.

I do not have to do the work. I need only to clear the circle, find the balance, lift the axe, and then let the life force, the force of gravity, the force of seeing what is possible, render the wood in two.

Again, again, and again.

The summer sun, stored in these standing dead trees, moments ago cut and hauled by hand through deep snow onto the ice, will warm us through this sub-zero night.

Where are the places where you still effort, thinking that muscle, or force of will, is the ingredient that will open the path ahead?

As I sit, and type, this body memory, of letting the axe fall, my clear focus and its own weight all that is needed to produce the results I want, fills me with deep calm.  A kind of trust in the workings of things.    And so I remind myself: once I know the work I need to do in order to honor what I am committed to, then:

Spend more time clearing the circle.  It is difficult to chop wood in trampled, deep snow.  Clearing down to firm ice gives me an effective platform for the work at hand.  The circle gives me boundaries; others do not enter the space while I chop.  I stay more present to my work, maintain my focus, and can generate an effective rhythm.

For you, this may mean a circle of time blocked into your calendar on a regular basis.  It may mean a sign on your door redirecting others to come back at another specified window of time, or handling email only during certain windows of the day. It may mean physically clearing any distractions to be able to fully focus on the work at hand.

Take the time to generate balance and strength. I will spend far more effort trying to chop a piece of wood that is not standing steady.   I am the same way; if I am not steadied by an adequate inflow of rest, movement, creativity, and healthy connections with others, then I will not be able to stand up fully into my work.

True balance is not a luxury that we add on once we achieve success; instead it is the optimization of performance every step of the way.  By making sure that your stamina, your creativity, your connectivity with others, and your clarity of thought are readily accessible to you, then your best is always within reach.

For many, this begins with exercise.  Allow your exercise to bring in joy, not just determination.  What will lift your spirits as well strengthen your muscles and your heart?  Learn too how to relax into your exertion.   As I climb the steeper inclines of my daily hike into cedar-filled hills, I consciously relax my neck, my jaw, my shoulders, arms, and hands.     I let my quadriceps contract, and the rest of me soften into the wind-lifted trees all around me.

Allow the power of focus and alignment to do your work for you. This is likely the best lesson from chopping wood.  I can fatigue fairly quickly if I power through each stroke of the axe.    While I can split some wood this way, I will not be able to sustain chopping through the mountain of wood I need to split to keep us warm on this minus 30-degree night.  Whatever the challenge you face, take the time to step back, reflect on what matters most, and then bring all of your attention to that one thing.   Let the power of your clarity work like the weight of the axe, slicing through the extraneous, the unnecessary, the distractions, all of which we often confuse for the real thing.

So…  make space for what is important. Attend to yourself.  These will allow you to approach your work with a relaxed yet powerful focus.   You will be able to accomplish more, with less effort. Some call this “flow.” I call it grace.   Whatever the name, it is a state worth striving for.