Every boat needs an anchor

“Underwater view of air bubbles and a boat on the surface at Panama City Beach” by Sam Soffes on Unsplash

Every sea-faring boat has a need for an anchor. An anchor connects a boat to the bed of a body of water to prevent it from drifting due to winds or currents.

An anchors value is in it’s weight. A heavy anchor is a sound anchor, a useful anchor.

Our thoughts and our beliefs also need anchors. Maybe it’s a strong assertion about our new business idea, maybe it’s a strong personal principle we live by, or maybe it’s a non-negotiable in our relationship. They give us the ability to pivot but not lose balance, the space to explore new thoughts and always have a way to return to safety, a foundation that can lead to real growth. An anchor can move, of course, when the time is called for, but when its embedded it’s about as useful as it gets. No matter the activity on the surface of the water, a good anchor will keep us rooted and safe.

Some thoughts and beliefs are anchored in clear, shallow water — we can see them in their entirety without much effort. It’s not a big deal to reach down and grab those anchors, to move it along when the time is right.

Others however, descend into the darkness, having been dropped long enough ago, or with such force, that they had time to sink and disappear from view. Those are the ones that need care and maintenance, and a continual asking of “Is this still serving me? Can I let this go now, or is it still foundational to who I am?”. The deeper the anchor, the harder the questions, but the more enlightening and freeing the honest answer.

Take a look. You may not be able to see the place where the anchor is embedded in the sea floor, but you can see the start of the rope that can get you there. I may feel scary starting that journey into the unknown, but eventually you will find what keeps it there.