Thoughts on Calm, Chaos, and See-through
The summer months of travel, meetings, loss, writing, heat, and humidity have co-mingled with teaching, sports, family, and service commitments. Embedded in this often-frantic pace are moments of calm and chaos. When times are turbulent and L.I.F.T. (Leading with Imagination and Forward-Thinking) remains a priority, re-centering clarity can be a challenging combination of release and re-calibration.
The results of the Executive Committee’s member survey suggest I am not alone in simultaneously experiencing calm and chaos. Fear, uncertainty, frustration, swift change, and instability are being experienced by NCA members—often in debilitating ways. Yet, we are principal architects of human choice, even amid life’s headwinds and tailwinds. Thus, both calm and chaos are necessary elements worthy of probing for repeated see-through.
Frameworks for Calm and Chaos
When faced with instability, one way I conceptualize the calm-chaos dynamic is through examining the lens of re-capturing by asking, “What do we seek to pursue and re-capture?” Pursuing calm occurs through re-capturing presence (of what we deem most meaningful), while mitigating chaos occurs through re-capturing placement (of what we deem our greatest priorities or contributions). Efforts to create calm in daily functions or communicative interactions involve the challenges of churn, streams of steady activity, and articulating intentions alongside the will to resist endeavors to choose stillness. The flux of chaos exists in mind-spinning possibilities and in havoc-wreaking overwhelm. Some people thrive in chaos and are adept at engaging routinely in doses of disorder; others experience chaos as a disruptive culprit of mayhem. I find it helpful to consider the dual processes associated with re-calibration.
To re-capture presence for being calm, we will often need to choose how we wish to be present, engage in being present, reflect on how we have been present, and then engage in release for a renewed effort at choosing more meaningful endeavors. To re-capture placement for mitigating chaos, we will often need to choose our priorities, engage in their implementation, reflect on how well we have done, and then release for a renewed effort at choosing greater priorities. Below is my Model of Dual Processes in the Calm-Chaos Dynamic, which depicts the dual processes of re-capturing. Though at-a-glance the model may appear simple, the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components present in each stage of dual processes can create layers of added nuance, complexity, stress, and/or weariness.
Navigating the Calm-Chaos Dynamic
Re-calibration is the byproduct of actively engaging in re-capturing processes. The greater the intensity or the complexity of the calm-chaos dynamic, the heightened need for multiple strategies and/or for greater frequency in the strategies deployed. While the tendency may be toward a focus on professional priorities, I have also engaged in direction-setting, envisioned future, and assessment strategies for personal priorities. Below is my Table of Abbreviated Strategies for Navigating the Calm-Chaos Dynamic, which depicts a set of strategies from my own summer of navigation to prompt your unique ideation. Each strategy has been useful at various times. All strategies have been direct contributors to help me resist the grind for a more calming presence and contemplate placement as a mechanism for mitigating chaos.
The Importance of See-through
See-through is instrumental in navigating the calm-chaos dynamic; it enables insight, progress, and throughput. See-through helps us to resist placing a governor on the potential contributions of our lives despite competing efforts of eradication or erasure. See-through is about both perspective-taking and progress in the present and in the future. Without see-through, there is no L.I.F.T. With see-through, we sustain the journey and momentum for the long haul. See-through is an imaginative commitment combined with fortitude to repeatedly engage in both calm and chaos.
As we conclude our collective summer months, be inspired. Choose re-capturing when it is needed—re-capture presence and re-capture placement. Practice release and re-calibration. Select strategies to slow time or prioritize with greater intention at your own pace. And, engage see-through to L.I.F.T.
With gratitude and greater regard,
Jeanetta D. Sims, Ph.D., APR
2025 NCA President
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