I once heard a grain of sand say….

I once heard a grain of sand say; “time under reflection gives one the space to think about how to direct one’s anxieties- whether to have them, what to worry about, what to fear, and what to just kind of be okay with…” He was talking about his life, looking back to when he was a boulder, and what has happened along the way. “I think that by the time one becomes a grain of sand, especially a grain of sand as small as I am, there’s not really any place for anxiety. One just kind of accepts that erosion is the only law.” He inspired me. What a powerful way to attach perspective to our ongoing priorities and anxieties.

No, I haven’t lost my mind. I recently was introduced to a podcast called Everything is Alive. The host ‘interviews’ an inanimate object which is played by an actor, but the interaction is unscripted. In episode 7, they interview Chioke, Grain of sand for about 20 minutes. Yeah, I know it sounds odd, but it works.

At various points during the interview, he inspired my thinking around my current work and challenges. The art of project management requires the ability to be agile in your thinking and approach while also being able to prioritize a myriad of issues- all claiming to be high-priority. I don’t believe Chioke would say our aim is to rid ourselves of our anxieties, but rather prioritize what things deserve our attention and time. I could directly apply that to managing the tasks needed when communicating a project schedule, especially the critical path, as well as the entire risk management process. The challenge of the PM and project leadership is to prioritize and communicate the issues as they arise, in the manner needed, while also communicating the overall impact to the project.

The advice from a grain of sand is something that can be applied in all aspects of our lives. As this is a work blog, I thought I’d share a quick thought on how we could apply to projects and work life. I’m interested in your application and comments on the podcast. Let me know if you listen to the episode and what you thought of Chioke.