Get out of the swamp and into the river

Swamps and rivers have water in common—and that’s about it. They’re fundamentally different systems.

Swamps linger and collect, circulating the same material.

Rivers move and release, reorganizing around whatever flows through.

Does your life—your work, your relationship, your friendships, your home, your health, your routines—feel more like a swamp or a river?

I first heard this metaphor last week, in a conversation with my brother, and I knew right away what he meant. The imagery says so much. It was immediately apparent to me where I was being swampy and where I was flowing like a river.

Nature can be so clarifying.

If the swamp-versus-river distinction doesn’t give you an instant hit in either direction, think about how you tend to approach decisions in these areas of your life.

Swampy decisions feel heavy.

You ruminate—for days, months, sometimes years—on the same set of information, convinced that if you just turn it over enough times in your mind, you’ll arrive at the “right” decision.

River decisions feel swift.

You consider the information available to you at the time, understanding that all decisions are “right” in the sense that they move you into a new state and present the opportunity to make another choice with fresh data.

Where in your life are you recycling the same information, thoughts, and beliefs, hoping to come to a different conclusion?

What’s crazy is that while you’re busy being all swampy about something, there are rivers flowing all around you. At any moment, you can choose to get out of the swamp and into the river.

Not saying it’s easy but it is simple.

What’s one action you could take today that would put you back in the current?