Although yoga posits one supreme Iswara (God) as the source of Creation, Iswara is given three ‘faces’ known respectively as, Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the maintainer) and Shiva (the destroyer). These three great deities are facets of the one God and, collectively, they govern the cycles of Creation. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva may also be regarded as the three fundamental operating principles of, respectively, creation, maintenance and dissolution, whose constant interplay defines life and the universe, as we know it. Reflecting this natural order of things, any project we choose moves through these three phases of the creative process. As well, our projects, whether large or small, are themselves composed of smaller projects, which in turn are subject to the same cycles of creation-maintenance-dissolution. Thus, for example, within the larger project of building a house there may be a smaller cycle of applying for a building loan, maintaining regular monthly payments and finishing the cycle either with a final payment or by rolling the unpaid balance into a new loan for another venture.
Along the way, countervailing forces will arise to disrupt the smooth flow of these tripartite cycles. Our projects do not exist in a vacuum. They are themselves small cycles within something infinitely greater and absolutely beyond our human control. Sometimes these disruptions are karmic influences from the past, as when (using an obvious example) someone harbouring a grudge against us from some previous incident comes to the construction site of our new home and vandalises it. We must learn to expect the unexpected in the form of past karma and move ahead anyway. There is a quality of surrender in such an attitude, which should not be confused with either passivity or resignation. One can be surrendered and still actively engaged and committed to successfully completing the task at hand. A transformational leader is not stopped by obstructions that arise along his purpose line. Instead, he encounters obstructions gracefully, finds a way around them and moves on. Resisting obstructions only adds to their ‘mass’, making them appear bigger and more solid than they actually are.
Often, breakdowns in the cycle of creation-maintenance-dissolution are the result of our own ignorance and incompetence. For instance, if we fail to ensure a cash flow sufficient to cover the monthly invoices arising from the purchase of materials, labour and other services needed for building a high-rise, we may put the whole project in jeopardy. This is a breakdown arising from our own ignorance and lack of experience. No competent builder would launch a construction project without first having arranged for a cash flow sufficient to cover not only the expected expenses, but also the unforeseen costs that invariably occur. Whether through inexperience, neglect or oversight, if we have failed to ensure a sufficient flow of money, then our project is endangered. We may soon receive threatening letters from our creditors’ lawyers and construction will grind to a halt. Such a situation constitutes a breakdown. What do we do? Well, before we look at ‘What do we do?’ we had better look at how are we being. If our way of being is negative, fearful and dominated by the thought, ‘This is a disaster’ then it is going to be difficult to transform the breakdown into something positive. Our current way of being will sabotage our best efforts to turn it around and find a workable solution.
On the other hand, if we recognise that with any major project breakdowns are bound to happen, then we are more likely to remain even-minded and centred when one does occur. We can also choose to relate to the breakdown as an opportunity to learn a lesson of great value and to develop new skills in financing future projects. This second ‘way of being’ treats breakdowns as opportunities rather than disasters; it is an outlook that is fundamentally positive and proactive, inviting initiative and innovation in finding solutions.
From a context that holds breakdowns as opportunities rather than disasters, the essential questions to ask and answer are, ‘What did we leave out? What is it that needs to be put in place in order to turn this situation around?’ We will need to focus on this inquiry until it is clearly and fully answered. This will take both research and a willingness to listen to our ‘hunches’, as we stay with the question, ‘What is missing?’ The tendency of the mind will be to look for a quick fix, something that will take the heat off in the short-term. This must be avoided in favour of a genuine and ‘grounded’ long-term solution. We may need to take some immediate action, but there are no short cuts. We must do our homework and talk to the right people. Furthermore, we will need our skills in enrolment to enlist the support and participation of those who are in a position to offer real assistance in providing ‘what’s missing’. This will call us to make promises and keep them. And we will need to keep pressing on, relentlessly, until we find and secure the solution to our problem.
The upside of breakdowns is that those who successfully turn them around come out of the challenge stronger, abler and with more support than was the case beforehand. Furthermore, they gain credibility and respect within their milieu. There are some consulting agencies whose business is based solely on the opportunity of breakdowns. These companies will go into a failing enterprise and turn it around…for a fee. They understand that breakdowns are opportunities rather than disasters, and they know how to both answer the question, ‘What is missing?’ and successfully implement the solution.
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