Making change...and stumbling off track

I’ve noticed a misleading habit we often have when we initiate a change.

We often start by noticing a problem. So far so good, this is what our brains do – scan the environment for a problem.

The natural follow up reaction is – “what would it look like if this wasn’t a problem?” And here again, that’s ok.

So now we have two points to compare. Today (point A) and future problem-free nirvana (point B).

Naturally, we start thinking about ways to make A look like B.

And now we are tripped up.

A doesn’t “turn into” B any more than our infants become college students.

Sure eventually the transformation occurs and we can say, “wow it feels like yesterday” but there were actually a million tiny transformations in between!

After you’ve defined your problem and your future vision, a winning strategy is to start to imagine the tiny incremental steps that will gradually transform reality.

Change really happens by asking: How can I nudge us so we are pointing 1 degree closer to B?

Not only is this practical and logical it reflects how we actually adapt to change.

Our nervous system is wired to adjust to small gradual change and R-E-S-I-S-T big change. 🤯

Even a willing mind that sees the big future vision and believes it’s a good thing will feel a physical resistance, concern and fear about a big change.

This is why if we want to march consistently and efficiently (less 2 steps forward, 1 step back) toward your new ideal state - then making small changes on the regular is more effective than waiting for a day when you can switch from A to B.

Here is a video where I talk more about this idea.

Love,

Marijke Ocean

P.S. This works with big changes that involve other people and small changes that mostly involve you.

For instance, I was talking to someone who was a little bored by all the contracts she had to review at work. She wished she was learning more about the business, but there wasn’t time! Rather than waiting for Point A (contracts, contracts, contracts) to become Point B (engaging and interesting conversations with lots of creativity and learning)… try adding in an hour a week - or 10 minutes of day - of the thing you crave.

On a bigger scale, imagine you want to transform a department from an efficiency focused, logic shop to an emotionally intelligent, customer experience dream. Add a 10-minute discussion to the each team meeting where someone shares a real life story a) being a customer or b) talking to a customer from the prior week. And then add another prompt that raises awareness about the customer…and another!

P.P.S. Do you know someone with a big vision and audacious changes ahead of them? I’d love to help them nail it! Just message me here and tell me more!