It seems as though we have no choice but to act as though the world is permanent, solid, and predictable, and, at the same time, we must realize that everything around us is impermanent, fluid, and unpredictable. If we go too far toward believing in permanence we will be thrown when something unexpected happens. If we lean too far toward a belief in impermanence we may fall into the trap of not setting clear goals, not achieving what is within our potential, and living in irresponsibly. This can be a way of protecting ourselves from failure or sometimes of protecting ourselves from success.

The secret of successful business practice and of life practice is finding the balance between control and letting go, between understanding that though little is within our control, we must act with complete responsibility. It is vital that we define our own paths, that we act with integrity, that we set clear goals for ourselves, and that we define and live by our life purpose. At the same time we must be prepared to change directions, to face whatever may come our way. You might say that the purpose of Zen and the purpose of business practice is to develop an open, flexible mind, a mind that can deal with a world that is both solid and completely impermanent.

The great Zen teacher Dogen said that our lives are like being in a boat on a river. We have no control over the river. The river flows regardless of our actions. Our job is to take care of our boat and to steer it. As our boat floats down the river of life we must be prepared for whatever comes our way.

Impermanence teaches us that nothing stays the same. Everything changes from moment to moment. Nothing in our business or work lives is stagnant. Our response to the fact of impermanence can be to feel stress and fear, or we can understand that because everything changes we can relax and feel the wonder of not knowing what will happen next. Understanding impermanence can give us confidence, peace, and joy.

Some questions to explore:

In what ways do you fear change at work? Where does this fear come from?
In what way does change at work brings you comfort and joy?
What aspects of your work are within your control?
What aspects of your work are outside your control?
How do you balance control and letting go in your work life?