THE FORMULA FOR TRANSFORMATION
Here’s my formula for making a huge transformation - in any or many - area(s) of life.
Shift: I always use the analogy from my friend Julie, which is you walk into a dark room and turn on the light - if you don’t like what you see, you can turn off the light. But you know it’s there.
This is the time when the drumbeat in your head gets louder, and eventually to a place where you can’t ignore it anymore.
Change: This part is taking steps AWAY from the known, the comfortable, the ways you’ve always done things. This is really hard. But on the upside, it’s a cascading effect, where suddenly you find yourself smoothly sliding down the steep waterslide after steeling yourself to plop down onto the top of it, heart in your throat.
I consider this more of the “physical” part of change, when your body itself is getting used to something new, but your mind and/or heart may not be there yet.
Transition: This is where you move INTO something new. Landing in the beautiful saltwater pool, which incidentally is at the perfect temperature, after sliding down the slide. Feeling excited, invigorated, and refreshed. Ready to swim to the shore and do it again.
To me, this is the “mental” part of change: things start to click, and feel right. New neural pathways are formed and no “white-knuckling” is necessary.
Transformation: The new you.
Here’s the thing: I don’t really put too much stock in the idea of a “rock bottom” moment.
Do those moments happen? Yes.
But do they NEED to happen for powerful transformation?
Absolutely not.
Instead, the secret sauce in pulling all of the above together is personal agency. To make that massive transformation - which SO MANY of us are hungry to do, be it start a company, cut out bad relationships, cut out a high-paying but misery-inducing job, find the love of your life, whatever:
You need to be willing (have the courage) to change and be willing (vulnerable enough) to talk about it.
That’s when the fucking magic happens.