Apr 2722

Foundations

Where you’re standing is important, it provides you with possibilities, limitations, potential. But more important is precisely what you’re standing on.

It’s no good being stood next to everything you’ve ever dreamt of, if the floor beneath collapses before you can take the step towards it.

Foundations are unglamorous, designed to rarely be noticed or spoken about, but like the air we breathe and the blood we pump through our veins, are vital for our wellbeing.

Foundations come in many forms. In the worldview we take, in the ground on which we build, in the problem which we solve. Foundations aren’t sexy, but they aren’t optional either. Choose to build upon shaky ground and you’ll see it all come down sooner or later.

Foundations are built over time, like trees putting roots down, but even the best seed won’t survive in the wrong soil.

Choosing exactly where we want to build, and upon what, can be an exhausting excuse for overthinking everything, but it doesn’t need to be that way.

Choosing which foundation to build needn’t require comparing it to all other possibilities, it’s so improbable that you pick the perfect plot and build upon it just right that we might as well call it impossible.

Thankfully the goal isn’t the objective best, it’s not to endlessly scour every inch of the world, investigating every angle and choosing the perfect formula to come out with The One, but instead simply about finding your resting place, your spot to call home.

That home may last a lifetime, it may last a season, it may last a sprint. But regardless, it’s about finding that place where you can say “this is where I want to build, and this is what I want to build upon.”

Whether it’s a worldview, a relationship or a business, none of us can guarantee what the future looks like. But we can all look around and take a moment to ponder what we’re building upon, before building our lives upon it.

And once we’ve found a nice spot with solid foundations, hopefully we too can breathe our sigh of relief, and say “I’m home.”


Fred Rivett's face@fredrivett