There is an important distinction in the metaphor I've been exploring.

There is the metal.

And there is the smith.

During the earliest moments of disruption, we may feel much more like the metal.

Something has happened.

We didn't choose it.

Our circumstances have changed.

We're being tossed into unfamiliar territory and reacting to forces that seem far more powerful than we are.

But eventually, something can shift.

We can pick up the hammer.

This connects directly to an idea at the center of my coaching philosophy:

That's authorship.

You may not have authored the layoff.

You may not have authored the organizational restructuring.

You may not have authored the loss, diagnosis, rejection or unexpected change.

But you can increasingly become an author of what happens next.

A smith works with intention.

So ask:

What am I trying to forge?

Not simply:

"What job should I get next?"

But:

"What kind of professional do I want to become?"

Not simply:

"How do I replace what I lost?"

But:

"What do I want to build now?"

Not simply:

"How do I get my old life back?"

But:

"Who am I now and who do I want to become?"

This is where Creativity becomes essential.

Creativity isn't just artistic expression.

In periods of disruption, creativity is our capacity to imagine possibilities that weren't visible from inside the old structure.

Maybe the next chapter isn't a replacement.

Maybe it's a redesign.

A portfolio career. A different industry. Entrepreneurship. Consulting. Returning to school. A new relationship with work. Or a combination of several of these or other options that best fit you and your dreams and goals. A different definition of success.

I encourage you to choose one deliberate strike this week.

One conversation.

One application.

One boundary.

One experiment.

One class.

One introduction.

One hour spent exploring an idea you've been dismissing.

One decision you've been postponing.

Transformation rarely happens with one dramatic swing of the hammer.

It happens through repeated, intentional strikes.

I’m writing these newsletters and doing the coaching and speaking on the topics because I’ve not only lived it, but I’m also living it out loud now with my own intentional career and life disruptions and changes. I’m feeling the heat and the pressure of the disruption and have moments where I feel stuck and lacking agency or direction. But when I consider these metaphors and how I can incorporate them into my own career and life disruptions and changes, it inspires and encourages me to be the smith of my own life and use the heat and pressure in the forge (disruption) to shape what I want my career and life to become. I embrace these metaphors and observations and experiments with my own journey and working with my own coaches, mentors, and advisors. The guidance I provide are based not only on my professional training and knowledge, but also my previous and current lived experiences.

The disruption may have put you into the forge.

But that doesn't mean disruption gets to determine your final shape.

At some point, we get to pick up the hammer.

And that's when change begins becoming reinvention.