Everything Has a Potential for New Possibilities | Blog

“May this be a portal of possibility.” -Valarie Kaur

The other day, I came across this quote when I needed to remember something important.

Every circumstance has a potential for possibility.

When something I cared about didn’t go as I had hoped, I was disappointed and filled with a sense of doom and gloom.

I did my best to keep my mind from “future dooming” and to remember that none of those things were happening now.

I reminded myself that wisdom responds in the moment, and if I could be gentle and compassionate and give myself some grace, I would find my bearings again. I didn’t have to solve anything at this moment.

This helped me to eventually look more neutrally at “what is” without all the added fear and doom thinking.

From there, I felt an opening. A tiny whisper of “what if?”.

As the quote above says, what if this is a portal of possibility?

What if circumstances do not diminish the creative intelligence and potential of new possibilities?

Life happens, and how we respond and what’s possible from there are still up for grabs.

What if we’re experiencing a limited mind versus a limited potential?

The creative intelligence, hidden capacities of the mind, new potentials, and our innate ability to figure things out, is a constant. It’s like a never-ending hose of water.

The only thing that changes is where we point it.

Am I pointing my creative imagination toward a scary future or toward new possibilities?

Am I using my mind in a way that limits what I see or expands possibilities?

Years ago, when I failed to clarify something in a client contract, I was sure the work was doomed, and there was no way forward. What I expected to happen at the start of our engagement was no longer possible, and in fact, it looked like the impact of that mistake would have unfavorable ripples for our work.

I had been thinking about it for days, and no new thoughts or ideas would come. It looked like the future was set in stone, and it didn’t look good.

I had a realization during a conversation with a friend: I wasn’t neutral. Internally, I was still reacting; my feelings of doom were a red flag. This was a wake-up call. I wasn’t in a clear mind; therefore, my thinking and ability to respond were compromised.

As soon as I saw this, I started to get more neutral, and within moments, I got new thinking and saw a new way forward.

What’s interesting about this is that none of those thoughts were available to me in the moments before or the days before.

That’s how the mind works. When we’re pointing our attention towards doom and gloom or a limitation, it influences our ability to see a way out or a whole new possibility.

When we look at “what is” (i.e., I failed to clarify a particular piece of the contract) without the added fear, judgment, and hopelessness, new thoughts and ideas naturally emerge.

If we stay open without shutting down those ideas, they will evolve. The water in the hose will keep flowing in that direction.

It doesn’t always happen that fast. I wish it did, but sometimes, the process of letting the fearful, limited thinking pass through is more challenging.

What helps me find my way back to the portal of possibility?

I remember that…

No decision, choice, action, or circumstance diminishes our creative potential. The possibilities for things to shift, evolve, and show us more of who we are are always there.

Yes, it’s true; choices have consequences, and life throws curveballs, disappointments, and challenges our way.

Hard ones. Heartbreaking ones.

In those moments, start first with love, compassion, and grace. Give yourself permission to feel, to be human, to grieve.

In that grace, my hope is that you remember who you are at your core and what you’re made of.

That every circumstance has the potential for new possibilities.

Every circumstance has the potential to show you more of your wisdom and creativity and help evolve you, the situation, your work, and your life.

Where does it look hopeless right now? Where does it feel hard?

As you give yourself grace, can you also point your mind toward “what if”?

What if this is a portal of possibility and not a predictor of a doomed future?

What if hope, new solutions, success, love, creativity, connection, and your aspirations are available to you right now with what is?

Wishing you endless new portals of possibilities along your path.