No Person Steps In The Same River Twice

There’s a powerful quote attributed to the greek philosopher Heraclitus that goes “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” I love this quote because it reminds us of how rapid, constant, and unrelenting change is. 

Even things that appear to be static are dynamic. Balancing on a bike is not a process of being still but of stabilizing and restabilizing as the rider tilts subtly off-center. Equilibrium in a chemical reaction is not a dormant state of inactivity but a very active process of constant chemistry. 

The quote also talks about the two different faces of change, internal and external. As individuals we are always learning, experiencing, and growing. With every datapoint our brains rewire to update our understanding of the world, creating personal evolution in every moment. We update our beliefs, preferences, and perspective instantaneously causing us to never think the same way twice. This is the man in the river.

The internal change interacts with everything changing externally. We’re constantly acquiring new information, and context from the outside world. The same conditions are impossible to reproduce because there are so many variables that go into it, and so many forces that influence it. This is the river the man is in. 

Given how constant change is, our mission is to keep reorienting ourselves to meet the demands of the moment. As Charles Darwin shared, “it’s the most adaptable that survive” and that’s equally true about who thrives and succeeds in our modern world, which is changing faster than ever. Critical to keeping up with the changes is having strong feedback systems in place that give you the insight you need to know which direction to go. 

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” Every moment is unique, internally and externally, and that’s part of the fun! We get to continue improving and growing in the ways that help us maximize our potential and contribution in the world.