Through the many wonderful encounters with dolphins over the past days, I (once again) became aware of something. In some moments, the dolphins simply looked at us briefly and then moved on. In the early days of our unique journeys, I kept chasing after them, hoping to still catch them. Always with this “fear” that they might otherwise be “gone.” But what does “gone” really mean? Gone for the moment – and maybe back in the very next one. Too often, I was so obsessed with that one moment, that it had to work here and now, instead of letting go of what I desired and trusting that something even more beautiful or better would come my way. Because what comes to me “later” is simply a reflection of my feelings right now. So, the more lack I put in now, the more lack will come to me. Pretty crazy, isn’t it?

Sometimes we fear change. Letting go, the unknown, what we cannot control. We cling to what is – always afraid it might otherwise disappear. But what if every change is, in truth, just a new form of life?

That reminds me of the story of snowflakes Sam and Sally.

High up in the clouds, two snowflakes dance: Sam and Sally. They are beautifully shaped, unique, sparkling in the sunlight. Yet, as they move closer to the earth, a fear overcomes them. “What if we die down there?” whispers Sally. “Once we touch the ground, our existence ends …” Sam nods sadly. “Yes, we’ll just melt. And then we’ll be gone.”

Then, a gentle light appears. A snow angel spreads its wings and smiles at them. “My dear ones,” it says softly, “you are mistaken. None of you disappears. You simply transform.”

Sam and Sally look at the angel in surprise. “But … don’t we dissolve?” “No,” the angel replies. “You only change form. You will become water. And then you’ll become part of something greater – a river, a lake, perhaps even the ocean. You will travel, give life, and one day maybe even return as snowflakes.”

In that moment, Sam and Sally feel he is right. Deep inside, they know: the end is not the end. It is a transition. And so they glide down – without fear, full of trust. They now know: life means transformation. We never stop being.

Whether the dolphins swim away, a project gets out of hand, a team changes, a market collapses, or your relationship is shaking – all of this can feel like farewell, loss, and uncertainty. 

But what if nothing really disappears? It transforms. From every “melting,” something new emerges. A river of possibilities, another way of collaboration, and always – a new chance.

(Self-)Leadership does not mean always holding on to the old, but trusting the new. Just like Sam and Sally, we too may understand: the end is only the beginning of another form of impact. Where in your life are you still holding on – maybe out of fear of the “end”? And what could arise if you dared to let go and trust the transformation? Perhaps right where you believe you are losing something, your greatest freedom awaits.

And that’s exactly what I did in that moment: I simply let the dolphins swim away. You know what happened? Another, even larger group came to us a little later – and enjoyed being with us. This group would have completely passed us by if we had chased the fast ones, hoping to catch them.