#17 A crisis is a terrible thing to waste

There’s a line from the book "Unreasonable hospitality" that I keep coming back to: adversity is a terrible thing to waste. It makes me think of another line I use often: never waste a good crisis.

Not because crises are fun, but because they’re honest. Or they force us to be honest. They strip away the stories, routines, and coping mechanisms that normally keep us comfortable. Comfortable in the sense that it allows us to stay in a space that is no longer serving us. Comfortable, because we don't grow.

When adversity hits, the nervous system usually takes the wheel. Fight or flight (or fix!) becomes the driver. We rush to fix, control, or escape - anything to get rid of the discomfort. That’s human. But panic is a terrible strategist. It repeats old solutions even when the situation clearly calls for something new.

Creativity doesn’t mean having brilliant answers. It means staying responsive, and asking different questions. Admitting that the old way of thinking and doing is no longer serving you, and that the old playbook might no longer apply.

And then there’s curiosity - the quiet, underrated superpower. Curiosity says: What am I being asked to learn here? What does this reveal about my habits, my relationships, my place in the world? Do my actions still fit who I am becoming, who I want to become?

Curiosity widens the field. It slows us down just enough to notice patterns, assumptions, and choices we didn’t realise were keeping us stuck. It turns adversity from an interruption into information.

Not everything can be fixed. Some things must be parted with and grieved. But very little is meaningless.

A crisis doesn’t demand immediate answers. Often, it asks for better questions. And when we meet adversity with creativity and curiosity, we stop wasting it - and start letting it shape us with intention.

Here are some questions to ponder:

What kind of adversity am I currently facing - internal, relational, external?

What is no longer working - even though I keep trying to make it work?

If this crisis isn’t a mistake, what is it here to disrupt or teach me?

What outdated behaviour or belief can I let go if I truly let this shape me?

If this stirred something and you’re ready to explore what your current challenge is trying to teach you, let’s work with it together. Reach out for coaching.