The Power to Change
A few months ago, I was reading a book on time management when my husband walked in. He immediately started laughing at me because I am (quote): “ruthless at managing my time.” To be fair, he is probably right. But I love the idea of self-improvement and believe that one of the things that makes humans so very special is our ability to iterate and change.
Conversely, I recently found out that the second Friday in January is typically known as “Quitters Day.” This name originated from fitness app data, which showed a sharp drop in activity by mid-January. Trips to the gym and Whole Foods dwindle as reality (and habits) kick back in.
So if change is worthwhile, and we want a different version of ourselves, why do we quit?
Quite simply, change is hard.
Hitting the snooze button on our alarm is easier than getting out of bed to run in the frigid morning air. Watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram is easier than staying up an extra hour to finish that client report. Donuts are easier to eat than kale . . . you get the point.
Brad Stuhlberg masterfully points out that the average number of significant life changes a person goes through is 30. 30! This includes everything from a new job, a new home, having children, death in the family, moving cities, and more.
So here’s the rub: you’re going to go through change — massive change — anyway. Shouldn’t it be the change you want?
All lasting change starts with an honest assessment of reality. Where am I today and how am I doing in these areas? I like to use a tool similar to the one below to analyze the different areas of my life and how they measure up.
If we want to change, the first step is acknowledging the reality of where we are at today.
A dead-end job, an unhealthy habit, a hurtful spirit — all of these things can be improved. But it takes self-awareness and it takes work: wanting the end result more than we want the comfort of homeostasis.
To successfully pivot, we must:
Identify the desired outcome.
What does success a year from now look like? It’s ok to be airy and aspirational! It should be!
Identify your strengths. How will these lead into where you want to go?
The Zone of Incompetence: Not your skill set. At all. (Me and Math).
The Zone of Competence: You can ‘make do,’ but other people can as well.
The Zone of Excellence: you’re good in this area, and you can make a good living from it, but it’s not…
The Zone of Genius: The activities and strengths that are uniquely you. That special combination.
Remember your values. These are your North Star! No matter how good you are at something, if it leads you to a life that doesn’t align with your values, you won’t be happy.
Set small wins and habits to sustain success. There are so many wonderful resources about habit building, but I particularly love Atomic Habits by James Clear. Remember, identity over outcome always wins the day!
There is no sugarcoating the fact that change is hard.
But pivots are powerful. They are what gives us the energy of metamorphosis; the potential to be all we can be.