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Saturday, 10 October 2009 |
There are always valid reasons not to make a change in your career. Now is not the right time, I don’t have the money, it is too risky, maybe it won’t be any better in a new role. Andrew Stewart made a radical change from Lawyer to a singer with The Canadian Opera Company.
Speaking of journey, you may have heard about Steve Vaught a 400-pound man who, several years ago, could not walk from one end of a department store to the other without sitting down to rest. Steve finally had enough. He was sick and tired of being sick and tired, so he started walking, he left his home in Oceanside California on April 10, 2005 and walked to New York City arriving May 9, 2006. Andrew and Steve have much in common, they both decided to take action in their lives. If we know that positive action creates positive change, why do we then resist? Here are the 5 myths of change:
Myth #1 Crisis is a powerful impetus for change
Truth: Crisis is a moment in time and we tend to have very short memories. Life is about day-to-day choices, and it is in these choices that we need to make sustainable change.
Myth #2 Change is motivated by fear
Truth: Fear often causes us to go into denial mode and convince ourselves that it won't happen again. We do much better with a positive vision of what change could do for us.
Myth #3 The facts will set us free
Truth: This makes sense in theory, but the reality is that we think in stories and emotions, and generally not in facts, so when the facts don't fit the story or emotion we tend to ignore them.
Myth #4 Small gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain
Truth: We are impatient beings and we should be more like Steve - choose a big goal and start walking. Larger changes yield larger benefits.
Myth #5 We can't change because our brains become hardwired early in life
Truth: New research shows how elastic our brain really is; it truly is a sponge and very capable of change.
Now if 10,000 people start walking across the country tomorrow we will know why!
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