Be Ready For the Dark Night of the Soul
When I first saw this from Austin Kleon I laughed. I felt seen.
We begin our projects with the enthusiasm of Bilbo Baggins heading off on an adventure.
Then the reality of what’s involved hits and you reach the slog, feeling like you’re trying to push a boulder uphill.
And then something happens, the proverbial hits the fan and you reach the 'dark night of the soul'.
My Dark Night of the Soul
A personal standout memory of this was when I was project managing my renovations. It was challenging, trying to keep everything on track and there was no room for delays – two days after they were due to be finished I was going away for a few months and letting my unit out.
One evening, I went in to check my very clear instructions had been followed and everything was cleared from the living areas so that the carpets could go in the next day. I walked in – the living room was full of white goods and cabinetry. Too much for me to move. If the carpet guy couldn’t come in the next day, it would be weeks before they could be done.
At the time I was exhausted and stressed with this and everything else I was trying to sort out. I sunk to the floor, head in my hands. I’d reached the dark night of the soul. I wanted to walk away, to not have to sort this out. But it wasn’t going to fix itself.
I called the guy responsible for moving everything – there were tears (mine), some pleading and joint problem-solving, and he came good. Happily, the renos were done on time and on budget and I went off on my trip (resolute I'd never organise my own renos again).
Corporate Example
A corporate example is the widely shared cluster when the Airbus 380 was being built. The parts were being built in four different countries Where they were bought to Toulouse to be put together, but the wires were too short. Two different versions of Computer Aided Design (CAD) had been used. Someone there had a VERY dark night of the soul. Ouch.
As a result, the Airbus 380’s entry into service was delayed by almost 2 years and several billion dollars over budget. At one point more than 1,100 German engineers were camped out at the Toulouse production facility trying to rectify the problems.
I share this as a reminder – this is a long-established organisation who have been doing projects like this for decades – yet they made a mistake with the decision to proceed with two CAD systems.
What to do
Most projects reach the dark night of the soul (sometimes more than once!). A problem pops up, a stakeholder throws in a hand grenade, a key resource is allocated elsewhere…
When you reach that point, pause, and breathe.
Accept the situation, as frustrating as that might be. Look at the immediate problem – don’t look too far ahead or begin catastrophising.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
— Charles R. Swindoll
Where are you, where do you need to get to, what are your options?
Who can help?
Who do you need to tell?
It can feel overwhelming – so bring your focus back to the next small step you can take to resolve the issue.
Problems will come up and solutions will be found. Then before you know it, you’ve reached the end thinking maybe that wasn’t so bad after all.