Our Ability to Influence the Change We Want
The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus, said “The only constant in life is change.” Change is the one thing we can all be certain of but perceive so differently. It is welcomed by some, rejected by others, but often needed for growth and progress. The reality is change is happening all the time, the weather changes, we get older, our feelings change, and even what we want to eat for breakfast or dinner changes. These subtle changes often go unnoticed and may not have an immediate impact on our lives. But then there are the big life-changing events, a job change, relocation, marriage or divorce, or the children are now grown, have moved out and suddenly you’re an empty nester. These changes get noticed in a big way – they stir up emotions – some happy, some sad, and they may cause you to reflect, examine your life and make even more changes. Life has an interesting way of creating circumstances that require us to adapt, learn, or approach things differently. As life presents us with situations and circumstances, we can choose how we want to respond. We can embrace change, lean into something new, and explore the possibilities – or we can choose to fear the unknown, resist what is happening, and remain stuck in our ways. The interesting thing about choosing the latter is that life continues to move on whether you are on board or not – it just passes you by.
As human beings, we have the power of choice. We can choose to be curious about the unknown, take risks and explore, acquire new skills, and grow, or we can choose to do nothing and life will eventually make the choice for us, which is usually a more costly one and painful experience.
Growing and developing as human beings is about choice! We can choose who we want to be, how we want to be, the direction we want to go and grow in life, and the impact we want to have on others while we are here. We can choose to make a difference or be indifferent. We have the power to influence our outcomes and the ability to achieve our wildest dreams – with the right mindset and motivation! If personal and professional growth and positive change are something you want, here are a few things that can get you on your way:
Begin with reflection. Reflection is a great way to take a step back and focus inwardly to examine your thoughts and feelings, situations and events, and communicate with yourself about what you have learned.
Looking at your values. Your values are like a life compass. They help guide and direct you about what is important to you and your purpose and align your behaviors and actions.
Decide who you want to be and how you want to be. Change always begins with you – looking inward at who you are, and the type of person you want to be, and then making a conscious decision about the work you are going to do on yourself to become who and how you want to be.
Support! We all need help at times – and learning and growing – and ultimately becoming the person you want to be is more fun when you have someone encouraging and supporting you. An executive coach, family, and people you trust can be a good support system for helping you stay focused and achieve your goals.
Patience. Change and success don’t happen overnight. It takes time, commitment, and resiliency. Change requires patience and grace with yourself when you hit a roadblock, experience a setback, or just feel like giving up. As you are working on yourself, give yourself the space and grace to be a flawed and imperfect human being who is striving to be a better version of themselves. As you put in the work, you will begin to see small changes – and that will be progress you can celebrate!
Once you become the positive change you want to see in yourself, you can begin to positively influence others and bring about even greater change. You have the power and ability to make a difference – one person at a time, starting with yourself.