Why is this book called ‘The Churning’?

People often ask me why this book is called “The Churning”. I tell them there are three reasons.

The first is because of the churning that is happening all around us: in technology, the economy, society, politics, and of course in the environment. Together, these changes have created the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world that some people call ‘the meta-crisis’. This is the outer, physical churning that we face.

The second reason is because of the inner, emotional churning we can often experience in the face of this unpredictability the feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, loss, and even fear that can make us feel churned about like a sock in a washing machine. This is our inner, emotional churning.

And the third reason this book is called The Churning is because of the type of churning that turns cream into butter: the ‘churning’ that converts a cheaper commodity into something more valuable. Because change in itself is nothing new. Change has always been with us. The only difference today is the scale and speed of the changes we are facing. And so if we learn the tools and skills we need to handle this higher rate of change, then we can start to use the challenges we face as [opportunities](http://www.thechurning.net/your-greatest-challenge-is-your-greatest-opportunity/) to become [clearer about what matters most to us and more able to achieve that](http://www.thechurning.net/use-change-to-become-stronger/). And in this way, we will become able to churn ourselves**, from the person we are today into something much more valuable: the person we have always wanted to become.

This book is called The Churning because that word describes not only the physical and emotional ‘problems’ we face but also the solution of how to use those changes to become stronger and more inspired.

How much churning are you currently experiencing in your outer and inner worlds? Are you using these changes as an opportunity to churn yourself into the type of person you most long to become?

(*The ancient Hindus described this in the legend of [The Churning of the Milk Ocean](http://www.thechurning.net/the-churning-of-the-milk-ocean/).)*

Adapted from *Inner Leadership*: a framework and a set of tools for building inspiration in a time of change.

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