#023 The Calm Within the Storm

Chaos doesn’t knock. It barges in — mid-project, mid-conversation, mid-life. And in those moments, when everything feels like it’s moving too fast, the real test isn’t in how we control the chaos… it’s in how we center ourselves.

As someone building ventures like Suluhu Studio and Lukhu, nurturing African creative entrepreneurship, and raising a son I deeply adore, I’ve come to see inner stillness not as luxury, but as a survival skill. I’ve had to learn to pause in the middle of the storm. Not because it’s convenient, but because my decisions, my energy, and the people I care about depend on it.

Chaos is inevitable. Response is optional

The world will always find new ways to pull at you. It could be a delayed project, a disagreement with a loved one, a cashflow crisis. But one thing remains constant: how you choose to interpret and respond.

There’s a moment I think about often: a project slipped through the cracks due to miscommunication, and my immediate reaction was to place blame. But that only escalated the tension. It wasn’t until I stepped back and asked, What’s within my control right now? that I found my composure and a clear path forward.

Stillness isn’t the absence of stress, it’s the discipline to not become the storm.

Find your center in motion

Stillness doesn’t always mean silence. Some of my most calming moments come during a walk through Nairobi, driving without music, or sketching ideas for a project with no agenda. Stillness is about presence, not posture. Whether you’re leading a business, raising a child, or navigating transitions, find your own rhythm. Protect it. Nurture it.

We often suffer more in thought than in reality. I’ve found myself drained not by actual problems, but by imagined outcomes — “What if this fails?” “What if they’re disappointed?”

When I step back, I remind myself: None of that is real yet. The storm is in my head. And storms pass.

Parting Reflection:

This week, I’m holding onto this question:

What is real, and what am I projecting?

Because peace isn’t the absence of noise, it’s the ability to hold your center when the world gets loud.

Speak soon,

-Rey

Sophia • Andreia • Dikaiosyne • Sophrosyne

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