Strength Isn’t Shouting. It’s Staying Still.
On Chaos, Growth, and the Power of Staying Steady
One of my professors in medical school once said something that has stuck with me far beyond the hospital walls:
“When everyone is losing it, you’re supposed to have it.”
At the time, I thought this only applied to emergencies — when a patient’s heart stops, when lives hang in the balance, and panic fills the room. But as I’ve grown — both as a physician and as a person — I’ve come to realize this wisdom applies far beyond medicine. It speaks to leadership, personal growth, and the uncomfortable, necessary path to becoming who we’re meant to be.
The Daily Chaos We Don’t Talk About
Chaos isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s the quiet accumulation of demands:
An overflowing inbox.
A colleague’s harsh words.
A project failing despite your best efforts.
A family emergency that arrives on top of everything else.
In your career and personal life, chaos shows up in unexpected ways. And more often than not, no one will come to steady you. You must steady yourself. Because when others are overwhelmed, confused, or reactive, leadership — true leadership — looks like calm clarity.
It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about keeping your footing when everything around you seems to tilt.
Discomfort is the Price of Growth
We often speak of growth as something inspiring — and it is. But growth rarely feels inspiring while you’re in it. Most of the time, it feels uncomfortable, disorienting, and painfully slow. It comes disguised as inconvenience, setbacks, or criticism. It shows up as loneliness when you choose the harder, quieter path of integrity.
But this discomfort isn’t punishment; it’s process. Like muscles strained under weight, our character, patience, and resilience only strengthen when tested. You cannot develop composure in calm seas. You develop it in storms.
Holding the Line
“When everyone is losing it, you’re supposed to have it.” This isn’t about pretending you’re unaffected. It’s about understanding your role in the room, in the team, in your life. You hold the line so others don’t drown. You keep perspective so others can find theirs again.
And you start to realize:
Calm is contagious.
Stillness is a strategy.
Growth comes when you don’t run from discomfort but learn to live inside it — until you’ve outgrown who you were before.
From Survival to Strength
Over time, what once overwhelmed you becomes your baseline. Crises that would’ve unraveled you in the past now feel manageable. Not because life has gotten easier, but because you’ve gotten stronger.
So the next time you’re in the middle of chaos — at work, at home, within yourself — remember:
Growth is happening, even here. Especially here.
Stay steady. You’re becoming someone who can hold it together, not just for yourself, but for others who are still learning how.
