Transformation is a life-changing process that is not just on the surface, or in one aspect of your life, but a complete and thorough transformation that changes your whole being. If you focus on changing your physical appearance, or what you do for a living, or how you interact with people, this only remedies one aspect of what you are really trying to achieve, which is to fulfill our natural desire to evolve, but if you are ready for a complete transformation, get ready to change everything that you believe is you and experience the joy of the journey itself. In this post I share some of the lessons I learned from my own transformation.
You are fine as you are: Transformation begins with the realization that you are just fine as you are, you just want to explore more possibilities. Therefore, changes should be handled in a certain way. If it is not the case already, accepting yourself as a complete and worthy human being is the first change to accomplish. With this in mind you can start to make other changes that are right for you and that are going to align true to our nature.
Create a plan and stick to it: We all take baby steps, from our birth, to our current time, and we accomplish a lot this way, but when you discover the desire to transform yourself and decide to unleash this desire, you are ready to take giant, transformational leaps. However, to do this efficiently, you need to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be the most complex or the most ambitious or the most extreme plan, it just needs to define a goal and a date by when you want to accomplish that goal. And you don’t necessarily have to know right away how you will accomplish your goal (it can actually hinder your progress to think too much about how) but you need to have a clear vision of what it is. Once you have the vision and once you are determined, you will naturally find a way to get there. Your goal should be big enough to take you where you haven’t been before, but achievable enough for you to accomplish. If your plans are very big, create a set of goals and sequence them in an order that makes sense. Once you set off you may need to make an adjustment here and there, or you may need to change some of your goals completely (in which case you will want to revise your plan), but always remember the big picture. It helps to write out your plan, review it every day and stick to the plan. (It does not help to constantly talk about your plans, just do them.) By contrast, by constantly changing your mind, not putting enough attention to your plans, or not focusing enough on them will scatter you and you will not take leaps but will continue to take baby steps. So make a plan and start taking leaps!
Enjoy the journey: Few people - only the closest to me - actually know that I have undergone a transformation (and still in progress) over the last 8 years. The reason is that it has been a very gradual and very natural process, not inspired by the stories of drastic and sudden changes reported on social media these days which appeal to our impulses of instant gratification, but instead a transformation bourne from genuine desire within. Transformation should be a gradual and natural process that you enjoy every step of the way. The process itself should be its own reward. By contrast, wanting to be there now means suffering through and missing the present, so take your time and enjoy the journey.
Make the necessary adjustments to your environment: There is nothing more energy-draining and counterproductive than to work against the current. When you’ve decided it’s time to make changes in your life, take a look around and remove any obstacles, remove anything that will impede your progress, replace them with things that will help you pave the way. This includes things like actual objects around you that will work against you and replacing them with other objects that will help you.This includes getting your family and friends on board on what you are doing (which may take a good amount of effort to finally get the message across), so that they don’t hamper your progress, but instead yield the way or help you to get there. It also includes your own thoughts about yourself and whether you believe you can get there or not, so make sure to recognize and eliminate any thoughts of doubt and replace them with thoughts that you are already there. And it may also include distancing yourself from people that completely resist the changes you are trying to make, but not to worry because you will surround yourself with those that will support you. As mentioned, a transformation is a complete and thorough change of your life as a whole, so what better way than to do it with the flow.
Good luck and have fun with your transformation! Please feel free to comment, ask questions or share your own experience.
Left: picture from Dec 2007. Right: picture from Dec 2014.
