The Tipping Point

An entry into January's Kaleidoscope Project

Have you ever thought about how no two people see the same sky?

Well,

Mark

of The Curious Detour and

Moon Arica

of Dare to Fail came up with a brilliant idea to get the creative juices flowing on Substack (not that we EVER need help with that though, right? -wink-) in a more collaborative and community-based way. They devised a project to bring people together, despite our different points of view. The Kaleidoscope Project was born out of the fascinating phenomenon that different people can and will have different ways of interpreting the same data. How interesting would it be, then, to collect these points of view and put them on display?

The Kaleidoscope Project promises “A monthly challenge designed to celebrate the infinite possibilities of perspective, creativity, connection and collaboration.”

One prompt. Many responses.

I was in.

But I won’t lie, the first prompt, “The Tipping Point”, did not initially spark something in me.

What did I want to write? How could I make it fit? Did I want to draw it instead?

I tapped the words “The Tipping Point” into my notes app, hoping that one day during the month something would pop into my brain to solve this issue.

Many thoughts came, but none of them stuck. None of them felt right.

And then, I had a breakthrough.

Pondering the many tipping points I’ve had in my life reminded me of an image you might be familiar with if you have ever studied psychology. It depicts how having a simple shift in perception can alter your entire view.

Daily life can feel like you’re stuck going around in circles.

Over and over again, you might find yourself repeating the same patterns and doing the same things. Many people never realize there is a pattern, let alone a way out of these patterns. I was almost one of them.

But then I had a therapist tell me over a decade ago that those circular motions I was going in weren’t sitting flat on a page. They were not 2D.

The circles were more of a 3D spiral, and that spiral was climbing up a mountain I couldn’t see in my current perspective. She instructed me to shift the way I saw the spirals. To tilt them and look at them in a different way.

If I just guided the circles, I could actually go somewhere!

The fact I could change my entire life’s trajectory, simply by structuring my thoughts and my daily tasks around the life I wanted to live was not just groundbreaking to me— it was quite literally life-changing.

I remember being so captivated by this imagery at the time, but it took years and years to integrate and implement the wisdom. It was a powerful lesson.

So I’ve drawn out this idea for you, dear reader, and I hope you’ll enjoy this little exploration of it in my poem below.

I don’t color inside the lines very well, but you get the point

Spiraling Perspectives

Building anything is hard.

Whether that’s your 4th grade science fair project, your self-esteem, or your Substack,
you toil for hours, days, weeks, months, years…

It can seem like nothing is moving
like spirals going round and round a mountainside on a foggy day.

You don’t feel the ascension, so you start to doubt you’re making any progress at all.

You can’t see anything but gray drudgery out your window.

It starts to feel monotonous. Mundane.
At some point you lose your spark for driving.
You want to pull over. To quit.

Some little nudge in you keeps you going though.

You’re brave. You’re tough.

“Maybe just one more loop” you tell yourself over and over again.
“Maybe what I’m seeking is just around the bend.”

You put your full focus back on the roadway,
your eyes fixated on a feeling of hope.

You keep turning the wheels
 
Keep steering

Keep going--

Pursuit leads to passion
Your excitement builds

A tiny haze of light starts to peek through the thick fog
and you think for a moment you’ve gone insane--

But it’s exhilarating and new and tempting...
and oh so very beautiful
after all the gray.

You put your foot on the pedal and rev up your engine
You thunder towards the sun...


A burst of energy,
A glimmer of success--
The clouds start to part,
The sun shines through
The gray sky turns to blue


All around you
All at once
Life is clearer
The fog has been lifted 
You have been renewed.

You find a scenic spot
to stop the car and step outside.

Turning around, you can trace
All the circles you were making--
All the steps you took along the way.

They were not endless loops
as you once thought
but rather an upward spiral,
leading you to this moment--

This place

This day

This view

The tipping point.

The point where there's a fundamental shift, somewhere deep inside.

Maybe you realize it’s not always going to be
sunshine and rainbows the rest of your days,
But now you’re equipped
For whatever the weather may be
On the other side of this journey--
This journey to be.

The tipping point is a gift
wrapped in a changed perspective

The tipping point isn’t where it all becomes easy--
As I dont think life will ever be

Instead...

The tipping point is a new-found confidence--
It's the courage to detour your route

It's the ability to see life unfold
in new and daring ways
and to have the tenacity to tackle its tricky turns
and to bask in its beautiful bends

The tipping point sets you free--

Or, at least it did for me.

Will you stay circling, or will you climb your mountain?

Thank you so much for reading! I had a lot of fun with this once I found my “angle” (Get it?! Upwards trajectory? I always thoroughly intend my puns) and you can read all the amazing authors and entries in this challenge below. If you enjoyed this, be sure to give it a like and leave a comment about whether you think you’ll join us next month for a new, exciting prompt. Or tell me about a tipping point in your own life. I’d love to hear about your pivotal moments.

Other people taking on the Kaleidoscope Challenge:

Erica Crall PhD - Virginia Curtis - Maurice Clive Bisby - Mayank - Margo Helman - Dom de Lima - Francisca Diamond Casais - Charlotte - Alex Avis - The Sentimental Nihilist - Aprille Walker - Mark Gatanas - Nida Elley - Amanda Renee - Michael Patrick O’Leary - Joydeep Biswas