I fondly remember visiting my relatives just outside New York City as a kid. The 4-5 hour drive felt like an eternity, though my dad occasionally broke it up with stops for ice cream or french fries at roadside stands. Those brief moments of joy made the journey bearable, even exciting.

When we finally arrived, I would eat as many snacks as I could handle before wandering to one of my aunt’s bedroom windows. Perched 27 stories high, I would watch the world below: tiny, ant-like humans swarming on the sidewalks, geese meandering about and the rumble of a regional Amtrak trains gliding across the bridge over the nearby bay.

On my Aunt's dresser sat a few snow globes that always caught my eye. I loved picking them up, giving them a shake, and watching the flurry of “snow” swirl chaotically inside. At first, the scene within the globe would disappear completely, lost in a storm of movement. But if I let it rest and was patient (very hard to do as a kid!) the snow would slowly settle, and the miniature cityscape inside would reappear—clear, vivid, and still.

Decades later, I often return to the image of the snow globe in my work as a Coach. It’s a powerful metaphor for how the mind works. Our thoughts—born from the creative capacity of the mind—generate constant movement. When unchecked, this can feel like a mental blizzard: swirling ideas, worries, and distractions that obscure clarity and overwhelm us. But here’s the beauty of the mind: when left alone, it naturally settles. Patience gives way to stillness. Stillness gives way to peace. From that peace comes clarity.

For professionals, knowing this dynamic is a game-changer. In today’s fast-paced, information-saturated world, many of us believe we must do more or think harder to solve problems. We push through the mental noise, trying to force clarity, only to find ourselves more stuck and stressed. The truth is, our best thinking and most creative insights come not from the storm, but from the stillness, peace and clarity that follows.

So, consider the snow globe. When the demands of work swirl around you, instead of shaking the snow globe, take a moment to pause. Trust that your mind—like the globe—will settle on its own. From this place of stillness, the path forward will more likely become clear, and brighter ideas will emerge.

Just as I marveled at the tiny cityscapes within my aunt’s snow globes, you, too, can rediscover clarity when the snow settles. Your mind is a remarkable tool. Allow it to rest, and watch as its brilliance comes into view.