When You're Facing the Unknown

When I was in my 20s, I was a regional merchandiser for a clothing company that had multiple stores in cities all over the country. 

It was my job to help the managers (within my territory) reorganize their retail spaces to accommodate new merchandise and refresh the overall look.

These redos required two or three days at each location but with budget cuts, I was only given one. 

This was often whittled down by travel time and flight delays, leaving me with only five hours to break down an entire store and set it up again.

Hello panic, my old friend.   

It wouldn't have been so daunting if I'd had a team to help and a template to follow, but I was on my own, with only the store manager for backup—and she was expecting ME to know what to do and to make it happen. FAST.

The pressure was paralyzing. 

Yet here's what I learned from standing frozen in front of a huge wall of clothing needing to be changed and restyled:

Staring at WHAT IS, doesn’t help you create anything new.

It just keeps you stuck in the current reality and blocks the creative process. In order to get fresh ideas flowing, I had to remove everything—the clothing, the hang rods, the shelves, the bust-forms—until all that was left was an empty, bare wall.

A blank canvas opens you up to endless possibilities. It sets the stage for regeneration.  But guess what.  It's also utterly terrifying.  Because where on earth do you start? 

Back in my merchandising days (with boxes of new clothing staring at me), the answer was obvious.  

When facing the unknown, start with the KNOWN.

I'd need to unpack the boxes so I could see what I had to work with.

Taking that first step naturally led to the next one.  Because, oooh look!  Pretty, emerald-green sweaters!  And since sweaters should be folded not hung, the next step became crystal clear.

I'd need to install some shelves in the middle of that empty wall.

Do you see how this works?  I didn't have a master-plan.  I just paid attention to what wanted/needed to happen.

When the manager (who was helping me unpack) fell in love with the new, navy pants, I added a hangrod beneath the shelves to showcase them. 

Thirty minutes later, we had an impressive row of folded sweaters with pleated trousers below.  This generated a sense of excitement.  Creative ideas began to spark. 

• We could use the button-down shirt and a sweater on one of the bust-forms. 

• On the other side, we could hang the blazers with the pretty silk turtlenecks . . .

The whole design didn’t appear all at once.  It revealed itself, one step at a time.

I realized I didn't have to know what the entire wall was going to look like.  I just needed to follow my instincts in real time, tweaking things as needed.

If this feels like a gross misuse of personal experience (in contrast to the chaos and uncertainty of current times), I get it.

Many people are standing at ground zero right now, with no map, and no idea of what to do next.  If this is you (or someone you love), you have all my empathy. 

Please know I'm not comparing the challenges of retail merchandising to any kind of actual crisis, or anything you may be facing.  I'm not suggesting you just "embrace the unknown" or press a magical reset button.

New life will emerge as it always does, but you'll need to grieve what's been lost before beginning the rebuilding process. 

Still, there may be something here for you.  

Because grief is a starting point.  Knowing what you've lost (and allowing yourself to feel the pain of that) is an essential first step. 

Loss always reveals what's truly important.  It cuts straight to the heart of your core values, showing you who you are and what you're meant to stand for.  This truth alone can be a guiding light.

Even if your loss isn't as traumatic or tangible as the capital L loss of others, it's important.  Whether you're processing a shattered ideal, a loss of trust (or sense of safety)—that inner ache will connect you to the whole of humanity if you allow it to. 

You're not alone in this! 

We're all facing our own private walls of stuff right now.  Many of the shelves and rods need to come down.  Old beliefs need to be shifted.  Outdated ways of thinking (and relating to others), need to be altered. 

A major, global reorg is underway.  Life is asking us each to do our inner work—changing what needs to be changed where we can so a new design (beyond the grasp of tyrannical forces), can emerge.

So please don't stand there paralyzed, thinking things are too big, or too far gone to be changed.  You've got an internal guidance system that knows the next best step in the now-moment to take.  

It doesn't need to be a huge leap. It doesn't need to solve everyone's problems. It doesn't need a stamp of approval.

If it's taken in faith (not fear) it WILL have an impact.

Whatever's calling to you, whatever doable thing is presenting itself to be done, whatever step is  being illuminated . . .

I'm here to urge you to listen to it, to do it, to take it. 

Sending you so much love,

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