This may seem like an odd question. Yet, I often hear these words spoken or read about leaders promising change, but the change is not always visible. We live in a culture where talking has become cheap and real change a scarcity. Declarations flow out of our mouths like smoke polluting the air with noise.
A real commitment to change is rooted in the seed of our being. It has gravitas like a tree. You can sense it sprouting from the gut or heart. When someone shares with me what they want to change from a place of sincerity the words ring true. I can feel the resonance of it vibrating in my bones. The same is true for myself – if I decide that I want to change something in my life, I need to check whether I really mean it or not. Otherwise, I’m fooling myself and not living with integrity.
What are you willing to do to bring about the change you wish to see in your life?
To change is an act. It is not something you think or manifest with your mind alone. The body must come along. To change is to do things differently. To create a new way of being and moving in the world. It is going to ask effort, perseverance and energy.
What are you willing to give up?
We can’t expect to keep on adding things to our “to do list”. If we really want to change, we need to create space. Change is not about adding as much as it is about shedding. Releasing and letting go. Transformative change is more about dropping into your essence than building your ego. It usually requires a slower pace. The pace of the body to really integrate the change is slower than that of the mind. In your mind it may feel that you’ve already change but is the change visible in your life? That takes time and continuous practice. Here it is important to be gentle and kind with yourself in the process of change. Giving yourself the gift of permission to allow the process to mould you.
What support do you need?
The process of change can feel alone as you alone are responsible for your change. Yet, you don’t have to do it on your own. You can reach out for support to others when you need them to motivate you to keep going. Be intentional with whom you surround yourself with. Keep on building relationships with people who influence you to bring about the change you yearn for in your life. Creating a community that support real change. Remember that you are not on your own. You are part of the web of life. We are interbeing.
We are entering the time where people tend to reflect on the year and start to set new goals for the next year. I would like to invite you to pause, take time, think and feel into if you want to change something in your life in 2025. Be honest with yourself. Do you really want to change?
It is okay to not want to change anything. It is sometimes better to rather make that clear decision than to keep on talking about the change you wish to implement. That way your words loose power. However, if you do want to change. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How committed am I to change?
- What must I start doing to bring about the change?
- What must I stop doing?
- Who can support me in the process?
- How will this change contribute to what the world needs?
The world needs people that not only speak change but live the change.