Change takes many forms, some are by design, we actively seek something new, some are forced upon us, we have to react to a change in our environment.
Whatever form it takes we need to adapt, and that is where the challenges begin. Change means we can’t keep doing what we’ve always done, we need to shift from auto-pilot, unlearn old habits and create new ones.
We all know what it’s like to learn a new skill – swinging a golf club or playing the guitar – dedication and practice are essential as we move from incompetence to competence. But most life changes we navigate have multiple elements and it’s not just learning new, discrete skills.
This book is an opportunity to share all I have learned over the last 30 years. I will use examples from my personal journey, my research and work with retired Olympic athletes, and my work with leaders and high-achievers in the business world.
It is an exploration of the human experience of change, transition and transformation.
Change can sneak up on us, like the erosive power that carves out great canyons. Or it can be seismic, a dramatic sudden event that significantly impacts us and the world around us.
Each change event provides an opportunity. We can respond by make minor adjustments, adapt our behaviours and fit into the new environment. This is the Chameleon pathway. The chameleon remains fundamentally the same, it blends in by making surface level changes. These transitions are about relocating from one environment to another and the time it takes to settle in.
And in many cases, this is enough. For more significant events something more is needed. Change provides the catalyst for a more fundamental transformation. Significant emotional events, whether positive or negative, planned for or surprises – promotions, retirements, redundancy, parenthood, or divorce – demand that we do more than modify our behaviours. These changes ask us to radically evaluate our mindset and identity.
This is the Caterpillar pathway, a process through which we navigate significant change and come out the other side fundamentally different than when we started.
These transformations take place at the level of mind, heart and body. It is an intellectual, emotional and behavioural journey that can be challenging to navigate.
We will look at both pathways and help provide a map that can allow readers to understand what might be needed for their particular circumstances.
We have all made these journeys in the past. We come through them. We are not the children we once were, we left school, we’ve changed jobs, we’ve moved in and out of relationships. Sometimes we don’t even recognise the changes that are taking place.
But some changes are more challenging than others. The one that we are in at this exact moment might well be the most challenging. That’s because we are in it. Knowledge of change, past experiences of transition and transformation can be helpful but nothing makes us immune from the doubts, fears and uncertainty when we are asked to let go of the past to make space for a new future.
Our minds and bodies are amazingly resilient and capable of adapting to novelty. At the same time, they are wired to find the easiest, most efficient way of doing something. Learning a new skill is about laying down the neural pathways so we become unconsciously competent, ultimately, we get to the point where we can longer remember what it was like to be bad at something.
This is not just happening at the physical, behavioural level. It is also happening at the level of our belief systems and how we define ourselves. It would be useless if every time we woke up in the morning we had to start again – figuring out who we are, who we know, what we do, where we go etc. Instead, memories are stored in our default mode network within our brain and that provides the psychological consistency that allows us to wake up and go about our day with some sense of routine and predictability.
Whatever type of change we are navigating there will be things we need to unlearn, and things that we might need to learn to do for the first time. This is where the resistance to change can be found – it takes effort to unlearn what has been hard-wired into us.
But just like our phones and computers there is a time when it comes to upgrade both the hardware and the software. For many of us the hardware upgrades are becoming more difficult with age, and it is often about a managed decline. But the software upgrades are essential. Installing a new operating system takes time, and just like when we do it on our devices, there are bugs that we need to fix, and things we need to get used to.
The book will be an exploration of how we change our operating system – whether we are changing our behavioural patterns or re-evaluating our belief systems and how we define who we are.
Throughout the book we will look at different modalities that can support different aspects of change. We will draw from different techniques and approaches and will include recommendations from experts in coaching, therapy and the spiritual traditions.
This is a holistic view of change and transformation. It is not a simple step by step guide.
Each person will navigate their own journey. What I will offer within the book is based on a Human First philosophy that draws from many different disciplines. The belief is that whilst each of us is unique there are some fundamental truths about the human experience. Before we took on our names, identities, roles and the labels we use to describe ourselves there is, at our core, a human being – this offers us a chance to view change and our life’s journey from this foundational perspective.
We will look at fundamental human qualities from a psycho-spiritual viewpoint. This allows us to look deeply into our experience and really explore what is available within this human opportunity during the limited time we are on the planet.
There will be times when coaching is the best approach. Helping set goals and creating the motivation to move forward to a different future.
At other times therapy and counselling can help unpack the past, releasing outdated reactive patterns, letting go of what might be getting in the way.
In other moments connecting to a deeper sense of present moment awareness will be vital, here the spiritual and contemplative practices are invaluable.
We won’t just be looking at the traditional mind-based approaches. For long-lasting change using the mind to change the mind isn’t enough. We will look at how breathwork, somatic therapies and plant medicine can play their part in supporting sustainable transformation.
There is huge potential awaiting all of us on the other side of these transformational journeys. We all have the chance to leave behind the leaves and drink from the nectar of the flowers. We can all find the beauty and majesty of the butterfly within us all.
We need to be courageous. Reclaim our potential. And shape our future.
Clear view 