For a while, it felt like all of your energy was needed to keep you afloat. Now that you are back on dry land, you realize that a real victory means being able to confidently go back into the water’s deep end, where it all began, to conquer your fear. To make progress, you must change. It has been something you have avoided for far too long. While some things are out of your control, what you can influence is your reaction. You have finally gained some control over your change.
In my last article, “Leaders: What Will You Have to Manage?” I shared the characteristics of the fourth of the nine stages of change, “manage.” In this article, I will introduce the fifth stage, “evolve,” to help you determine if you are on this stage of the change process and provide techniques to create forward movement towards mastery.
Brighter Horizons
You focus on actions to create a life that goes beyond mere survival. Feelings of vulnerability and fear of rejection surface as you reach out for more support. Reluctantly, you accept some limitations introduced by your change. You engage in conversations to strengthen relationships and address some challenges. You are mentally, emotionally and physically stronger. You recognize the presence of a strong, vibrant and potent energy. You believe you have left some of your worst days behind.
What Can You Expect?
As you move through the “evolve” phase, your mental strength will make it easier to dismiss self-limiting thoughts. You will begin to ponder underlying reasons why, at times, you avoid what you know needs to be done, especially as it relates to asking for more assistance. There will still be internal resistance to taking actions in areas where you feel you have no choice. One major milestone is making a conscious decision as to how you want to emerge from your change.
You Are the Evidence
To move forward, you must remember the times when you overcame obstacles because you had no choice. There were times where you wondered if you had the strength and courage to do what needed to be done. You might forget that you have successfully risen above many obstacles. During challenging times, you might focus on what you have been through rather than whom you have become. As Wayne Dyer once said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
In the past, you may have had to climb over or go through some things. Perhaps you remember the times when you thought you could not get back up. You might have thought about giving up. Remember, the strength and courage you showed in the past have paved the path for victories in today’s challenges.
Despite those past victories, you may still think you are unprepared for current challenges. Successful leaders analyze the evidence. You are the evidence. Ponder how you got back up and kept getting up. How, despite past challenges, you are still standing tall. Look for the lessons, and harness their power — your power.
Be Open to Possibilities
Do not dismiss the lessons intermingled within your journey from standing up to your change and choosing to evolve. Many of those lessons were gifts wrapped in sandpaper: rough and abrasive on the outside but smooth and polished gems on the inside. Your willingness to look beyond professional challenges currently in your path will help you seize future opportunities.
To maximize opportunities, be strategic about the professional experiences you choose to pursue. Analyze the cost and benefits. Is this the right time? What will you gain? What will you sacrifice? What will you risk? What conversations do you need to have?
Additionally, be aware of the danger of “sitting in the past” or focusing on the “mess” your change may have created for you or others connected to you. Make a conscious choice to rise above the urge to keep replaying what happened. Instead, concentrate on how you want to emerge.
Build Stronger Environments
According to the Collins online dictionary, “Someone’s environment is all the circumstances, people, things and events around them that influence their life.” Instinctively, we crave environments that uplift us and shun those that crush our spirit. It is not easy to achieve the best possible results without modifications and upgrades to our environments. Evaluate and strengthen your network environment to help you move forward more powerfully. Insight from the experiences of those that have successfully risen above daunting odds can prove invaluable.
The next article will introduce the sixth stage of the Nine Aspects of Change, “embrace.”
Donna Johnson-Klonsky, MBA, PCC
DJ Consulting Services Inc.
East Fishkill, New York 12533
djohnson@djcsfirm.com
845-447-1037
