Childhood and Chaos

I am not sure how many people I have coached over the years, but my guess is it’s close to 1000. I have also interviewed over 270 people for my podcast. I don’t work with people who are “sick,” per se, instead many work with me to improve their performance or leadership. Yet, over the years, I have noticed how much a person’s childhood impacts the way they see the world today. The stories of our childhood often show up in adulthood. During those conversations, I have noticed a pattern about how childhood impacts our relationship with chaos.

Many clients talk about being comfortable or shying away from chaos due to their childhood. Chaos could be a traumatic experience, a divorce, or even just being in a big family. Regardless of what they witnessed, our relationship with chaos shows up in a number of ways:

  • Our capacity to have difficult conversations

  • Our relationships/partnerships

  • How we lead others

  • What we look for in a career

  • How we handle stress/pressure

Life is going to be chaotic at times. There’s no avoiding it. Having clarity on our relationship with chaos can allow us to better navigate it. What’s your relationship with chaos? When does it help you and when does it hinder you? What can you do to create a positive relationship with chaos so that you don’t get swept away in the storm when it comes?

Brian Levenson