Transformation

Transformation: what does it mean? There are so many change theories out there, we can choose one that fits us or we can invent our own. One school of thought has four stages to transformation: rotation, reflection, translation, and enlargement/resizing. This is as good a place to start as any.

The first step to change is awareness. You can’t change something if you are not aware of it. This awareness makes us pay attention; we pivot and take notice (rotation), and prepare to go in a different direction. The second step, reflection, is understanding the meaning and impact of the change before we embark on it. The third step is translation, planning for the change and translating insight to action. How do you intend to implement this change? What does it look like? The fourth step is embedding the changed behavior/habit so it sticks, whether it’s thinking or acting differently, by enlarging where it can be applied. What other opportunities exist where you can apply this change besides the current situation? What are the benefits? This creates new neural pathways that helps the changed thinking or behavior “stick.”

There’s a step between the second and third steps…let’s call it step 2.5. It has to do with commitment. How much do you want this change? How prepared are you to follow through? This is the juice that will drive the change. Without it, this change will become lip service, flavor of the month, the current set of shiny keys. Change is a process not an event. If you’re not prepared to give this attention, positive feedback, repetition, and time, then perhaps you’re not as interested in transformation as you thought. And that’s OK. Because not being able to do something can yield just as big an insight as actually doing it. So the question now becomes: How does it serve you not to change?