Risk and Transformation
by Janet
Shlaes, Ph.D.
“And the day
came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it
took to blossom.”
~ Anais Nin
Many years
ago when I was teaching a life-planning class, one of my students shared his motivation
for making and taking action on a huge life decision. He simply stated that he
made his life-altering decision when it felt riskier to perpetuate the status
quo than to change. His new course of action felt quite scary to him and would
for a period of time, however, it also felt exciting and freeing. Change is
like that. You endure the pain inherent in the change process to create a
future self that aligns with your highest values.
Transformation
is a process that takes place over time. You initially experience the inner
stirrings of dissatisfaction with your current state of being in the world.
Although your current reality may not feel so great, in some strange way, it feels
“normal.” With time, the stirrings, or
whispers, become shouts that can no longer be ignored. That’s when it suddenly
feels risker and more painful to “remain tight in a bud,” than it does to “blossom.”
Although this shift in perception and action may seem to appear out of nowhere,
it’s a process that honors your inner timing. I’ve experienced many
transformations over time and imagine that you have as well. I find these shifts
to simultaneously contain elements of hope, fear, surprise, excitement, engagement,
faith and elegance. What about you?
Janet
For additional
insights and observations, I invite you to check out the following links:
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