Celebrate Change

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”
-Oprah Winfrey

If you keep asking the same old questions, you will get the same old answers. As you start the day, try asking some different questions to jolt your mind and body out of their routine. This can mean simple questions like - “Can I try something different for breakfast?” or bigger questions like “What if I took a totally different approach to that Big Problem X, Y, or Z?”

You may also need to face some tough decisions about change itself i.e. - “What if I don’t really want to change?” or “Am I afraid to change?”.

As we discussed in a previous blog, Japanese artist Hokusai was a master of change. Here are some specific questions to up your Change Game.

1. Like Hokusai, you must become a master of change! What changes have you already made that are bringing you closer to your goals?
Most of us have made many changes in life - but not always in a deliberate or successful way. Take some time to consider instances where you made a positive change. What was that process like? What factors influenced your thought process and decision making? Can that experience help with your next wave of change?

2. How do you plan to celebrate your progress and milestones, no matter how small?
With change on the horizon, how can you celebrate the next milestone? By imagining the celebration at the end of the change journey, you provide a strong mental compass to kick your mind into action.

3. What fears or resistances do you have about the changes needed to achieve your goals?
Think about what will happen if you fail to make the necessary changes? Fear of failure releases a powerful wave of energy that will help you take action -NOW. RIGHT NOW! Obviously don’t work yourself into a state of hopeless panic! Instead, try to look clearly at your situation and really understand the consequences of failure with a clear and objective mindset.

4. How can you reframe setbacks or failures as opportunities for growth and learning?
No change process ever goes quite as planned. That’s because when we are changing, it usually involves doing something that’s unfamiliar and/or even something completely new to the world. Change can hurt, but that’s okay.

5. Who in your life can act as a change cheerleader, supporting and celebrating your growth?
Depending on the changes you are attempting, take some time to see if there are some reliable and trusted cheerleaders in your immediate network? Also, not every person needs to be involved in every change. Your spouse might not want to help you with your golf swing, but might be more than happy to encourage you to try a new diet.

6. What new change are you committing to this week/month that excites you?
In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow famously carried a compass that pointed to his heart’s desire. If you take the time to train it, all of us have that same compass already “built in”. What changes do you find particularly exciting, perhaps even a bit scary? That is your “change compass” at work - pointing you towards something new. This is not an invitation to become reckless - but rather to learn how to dial into those much needed course corrections as you sail through a sea of changes.

Conclusion
As we've seen, change is not merely an external event that happens to us; it's a profound internal revolution that starts with a question, a curiosity, or even a challenge to the status quo. Hokusai's mastery of change, as discussed, serves as a testament to the boundless possibilities that await us when we dare to embrace the unfamiliar, to view setbacks as stepping stones, and to recognize every small milestone as a victory worth celebrating.

What lasting changes will you start today?