How to Find Your Stability in the Storms: The Three Anchors You Already Possess

The journey of life is rarely smooth sailing. We all love the sunny, clear, blue days, but the reality is that the most defining moments often come during the fierce storms and tempests. Challenges are the storms. Failure, crisis, loss, and despair are some of the violent winds and churning waves we face.

If we’re not prepared, these storms could drive us onto the rocks of overwhelm, bitterness, anxiety, and burnout. We feel adrift—a ship without a rudder.

The solution isn't to pray for the terrible storms to stop, but to deploy anchors. We need fixed points that hold us steady, not so we can stop the chaos, but so we can survive it and stay aligned with our direction.

Here are three of the most powerful anchors you already possess to find your stability, courage, and purpose when the winds change for the worse.

Anchor 1: 

The Anchor of Purpose (Your True North)

Think about what a physical anchor does: it digs deep into the seabed, connecting the shifting boat or ship securely to the immovable earth beneath.

The Anchor of Purpose is exactly like that. It’s your True North—the fundamental, unshakeable "why" that defines your direction, regardless of the waves trying to push you off course.

In a crisis, the first thing we can lose is perspective. We focus entirely on the pain and tumult of the moment, forgetting why we started sailing forward in the first place. Purpose is the fixed point that keeps you moving forward, despite the storms. It doesn't promise easy sailing, but in the raging storms it does guarantee that your suffering has meaning, and your effort has a destination.

The Story of Meaning

We see this most powerfully in the face of impossible odds. Consider the psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. He tragically lost his family, his freedom, and his life’s work. Yet, he observed that the people who survived the WW2 concentration camps were not necessarily the physically strongest, but the people who clung onto a powerful reason to keep on living.

Victor Frankl himself found his driving purpose in the idea of rebuilding his work and helping others find meaning in their suffering. He explained this compelling reason as: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

That choice and attitude—to live for a purpose greater than your immediate suffering and pain—is the anchor that holds you. When the storm hits hard, ask yourself: "What is the one value or goal that is non-negotiable for me?"

Anchor 2:

The Anchor of the Present (The Controlled Space)

When a ship is caught in a massive storm, the captain doesn’t waste energy shouting at the stormy sky or regretting not stopping at the previous port. The captain focuses entirely on the next ten feet of the journey: securing the line, adjusting the wheel a fraction.

The Anchor of the Present is your practical tool and mindset shift. You cannot control the storm itself—the past mistakes or the future outcome—but you can control one critical thing: your response, your breath, and your next small action.

In a crisis, the mind wants to zoom out to the massive, overwhelming picture: How will I pay the mortgage? Will I ever recover? How will I cope? These are some of the paralyzing questions that can shoot around in our head.

When my own projects felt like near collapse, I drowned in 'what ifs.' I had over a 100-item task list that felt like an insurmountable mountain. My practical anchor came when a coach reminded me to:

“Stop worrying about getting to the summit. Just take one step of action- tie the laces on your climbing boots first.”

This shifted my focus completely. My goal wasn’t to fix the entire problem; it was to complete the smallest, most immediate task: Send one email. That's it. Then, the next smallest task: Create one single summary needed.

This mindset, focusing only on the next ten feet, creates The Controlled Space. It’s where your power actually resides. You cast this anchor deep by asking: "What is the single, smallest, useful action I can take right now?"

Stability isn't found in ending the chaos; it’s found in performing small, intentional acts in the storm and chaos.

Anchor 3: 

The Anchor of Service (The Outward Gaze)

During a personal raging storm, we naturally become hyper-focused on our own immediate suffering. Our world shrinks until we are the only item in our field of vision, which only magnifies our pain.

The Anchor of Service, your relational stability point, requires you to consciously look outside yourself. It means reaching out and helping just one other person, even in a small way.

You might be wondering: when you're struggling, why should you give away your limited energy? Because when you look outward, two miraculous things happen:

1. Your problems shrink in proportion. They don't disappear, but your mind is forced to recognize that your situation is not the absolute centre of suffering, and that you still have capacity to give and to help others.

   
   

2. Your own strength is revealed. The very act of offering support unlocks a hidden well of energy and perspective that was unavailable when you were focused solely inward.

   
   

After my professional disaster, I felt useless, crushed, hopeless. But I forced myself to regularly spend one or two hours visiting the local Care Dementia Home. For that visit, I wasn't the person who had let ‘glass balls’ smash; I was just the visitor giving warmth, time and value to the folk in the Care Home.

That small act of service was the unexpected surge of energy needed—it reminded me that my value wasn't tied to being successful in all areas, but to my capacity to contribute to others with kindness.

The Anchor of Service grounds you in the shared human experience. It forces you to connect, and connection is the ultimate antidote to despair. You secure this anchor by asking: "Who is one person I can lift up or help today, even if I only have a little emotional strength to spare?"

Conclusion and Call to Action

We've explored three great anchors you carry within you:

• The Anchor of Purpose, your True North.

• The Anchor of the Present, your Controlled Space.

• The Anchor of Service, your Outward Gaze.

When I stood in that kitchen at 2 a.m.  a few years ago, paralyzed by shame and failure, I was missing all three. If I had applied these anchors then, the devastating storm wouldn't have ended, but my experience of it would have been fundamentally different. I would have felt more stable, courageous, and connected, despite the raging, crashing waves.

You cannot always choose the weather, but you can always choose your anchors!

The time to deploy your anchor is not when the storm has already shredded your sails. It is right now.

Your single, small, immediate action today is this: Identify your True North. 

Action:

Tonight, write down one sentence that defines your most important value, your highest commitment, or your core purpose. 

Post it where you can see it first thing in the morning.

A ship that knows its destination and its safe community can handle any fierce wave. A life anchored in purpose will never truly be adrift.