How to Stay Grounded When Work Moves at AI Speed

Now that I’m emerging from sabbatical and having conversations with friends and former clients (many at startups or hyperscalers), I’m seeing a trend worth talking about. The world seems to be moving a lot faster than it was even six months ago and it’s taking its toll on professionals working at the epicenter of these shifts.

I’ve never heard from so many people, talented and hard-working, white-knuckling their careers. The closer you get to being in the orbit of a tech company, the faster life seems to go. When you see top leaders at frontier companies resigning due to burnout you know something is wrong.

While a few can ride this wave like a champion surfer, many are getting pummeled and caught in the undertow. It motivated me to write a blog post about how you can find your footing in such a world.

In Search of Solid Ground

There was a time in my life when I taught yoga outside of my day job at Microsoft. It became such an important part of my work-life that I moved to live in an apartment above the studio where I taught! The style was Vinyasa Yoga. The postures would flow slowly at first before picking up speed. The quicker you went, the more tempting it was to skip the basics.

As a teacher, I would watch for this moment, when the “wheels came off”, and cue the class to build each posture from the feet up; from the toes to the top of the head, unless we were in handstand, where it’s reversed! The core of yoga is a stable foundation, embodied by Tadasana, aka “mountain pose”.

Mountains withstand gale-force winds, blistering sun and driving rain without flinching. No matter how high a mountain is, it never loses connection with the ground. The bigger the connection to the ground, the more it can support. More trees, more animals, more waterfalls, etc. With a big foundation, mountains soar higher than clouds.

If you are trying to take on a lot of responsibility but struggle with the pace of change, this is a good place to start (and end!).

Three Levels of Grounding

Mountains are a nice image, but what does grounding actually feel like? For me it shows up at three levels: physical, mental and spiritual (beyond the mind/body).

It’s worth talking about this since grounding is far more than a physical exercise or a quick meditation. These are felt experiences more than ideas, so I’ll describe them the way they feel to me. Yours may feel a little different, and that’s okay.

Body

Grounding in the physical body is about having a body that is stable yet relaxed despite your circumstances. You can be grounded while reading, running, swimming, typing, presenting, eating, meditating, skiing, walking on a tightrope, skydiving, etc. It doesn’t have anything to do with going fast or slow. Its hallmark is a feeling of stability in the body.

For me, it feels like weight settling into my feet (or my seat), my breath dropping low into my belly, and my shoulders and jaw letting go. I feel solid, like I’m standing on the floor rather than floating above it. When seated, I feel balanced, like a perfectly aligned Jenga tower.

Mind

Grounding in the mind is about having a settled and calm state-of-mind. You can be grounded mentally while taking an exam, sitting in your performance review, having a difficult conversation or just relaxing on your couch. Its hallmark is a feeling of peace.

For me, thoughts still come, but they pass through like weather instead of grabbing the steering wheel and driving me into the ditch. There’s a little space between something happening and my reaction to it, and in that space, I get the power of free will.

Spirit

Grounding in the spiritual body (i.e. beyond the mind/body complex) is about having a clearer understanding of who you are and who you are not. You can be grounded in the spiritual body during everyday life and work as well as during times of intense grief, joy, sadness, anger, stress, physical pain and more. Its hallmark is a feeling of lightness in the heart (awe and wonder are nice too).

For me, it’s a sense that I’m okay at a level deeper than my circumstances. I’m not my job title, my inbox or my last mistake (or reward!). Sometimes, it also shows up as feeling interconnected with everything, that I’m bigger than my problems and my ego. That I’m not calling the shots, yet I’m a vital part of it all.

Why Bother?

Counterexamples are helpful if you doubt the value of grounding as I’ve described it. Just take the opposite of everything I’ve mentioned. Imagine that your body is incredibly tense, mind is stressed and add on top of that the feeling like the world is on your shoulders.

How effective would you be in such a state?

How long would you last?

Grounding is about getting back to a more natural and effortless way of being that is more aligned with how we are made to function. When I’m grounded I do better with my decisions, relate to people more authentically and come up with creative ideas that feel above my pay grade. I also feel far more energized at the end of the day.

How to Do It

By now, you are probably wondering how to “do” grounding. The irony is you are already doing it all the time! It’s naturally human to feel balanced, peaceful and full of wonder. Kids experience this state of mind all the time. The older we get, and the fuller our minds become (and the worse our posture becomes!), the more we drift away from this state.

All I’m talking about is rediscovering something that is quite natural. The tactics are limitless. Before I share what works for me, let common sense be your guide.

Ask yourself:

What would help me get more steady in my body?

What would help me get more settled in my mind?

What would help me get more connected to my spirit?

Beyond that, here is the simple progression that works for me:

1) Start with the body. In yoga, meditation is traditionally practiced after physical postures and exercise. The body work prepares the mind to relax, focus and go deeper than meditation alone. Take notice and care of your body and find your physical grounding first. Even a little bit goes a long way. Then, notice how your mind tends to follow along more easily.

2) Then the mind. Most minds are full of thought. Meditate if you like or be present with your experience of life for a few minutes. A mind that is at peace, even a small inner clearing of peace amidst the hurricane of thought, makes connecting to the bigger picture of life feel natural.

3) Then spirit. Sit in wonder and awe, even for a moment. Look at a tree and marvel at it. Contemplate the fact that you are made of literal stardust. It’s all so miraculous. You might even notice that you are far more than your thinking mind and feeling body. Vast, expansive and whole.

These three steps can take any amount of time. You can spend hours on them or just a few minutes. My preference is a bit more time on the body (30 minutes to exercise), a little less on the mind (10 minutes to be present with my mind or meditate) and just a few minutes communing with the spiritual side of life.

Finally, as you dive into your AI-fueled day, check your grounding from time to time. Have you lost that feeling of stability, calm and lightness? If so, that’s normal. Expect it to happen. Take a moment (literally, a few seconds) and find your grounding again. It didn’t go anywhere; it just gets buried under your busy mind.

Find Lasting Security

The harsh truth is that the world isn’t going to slow down, and AI will keep pushing the pace. The place to find security is not in external systems (be they bots, agents or literal robots) that help you cope or a job title that makes your ego feel good. Yes, do use technology to help you be more effective. AI included. However, I’m afraid that won’t be enough.

The only lasting security is found in cultivating your solid inner foundation. Mountains don’t outrun harsh weather; they outlast it by their very nature and connection to the earth. Grounding builds your inner world the same way, connecting you to your natural strength, peace of mind and potential.