There is nobody who totally lacks the courage to change. Rollo May
The critical phase in change is that inflection point when we pick up courage to follow our hearts whisper which has turned into a shout. The problem is, much as we realize with each passing day that we need to change tracks, we are pressurized by societal norms, parental pressures and perhaps a miniscule amount of self doubt but what really terrifies us is the consequences of failure in pursuing our desired alternative. This brings up the real problem with change; not that we lack courage but we are paralyzed by fear of failure.
The initial hurdle that anyone wanting to change faces is to convince well meaning but ill informed well wishers that include family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances that your need to change is deeply felt by you and imminent. However the passion and intensity with which you feel the need to change is just not empathized by them and therefore they will dissuade with logic. Often the logic is simplistic don’t attempt things no one has dared to do within family, stick to the tried and tested, follow the path that is most accepted and the final argument is that the true measure of success will be what one can evaluate in physical terms particularly monetary terms. Where the logic fails is in conveniently ignoring the emotional element for it is neither tangible nor easily appreciable by a third party.
With the overwhelming pressure brought about by well meaning people it is obvious that a normal person will swiftly be vacillating between his/ her heart’s desire and the apparently irrefutable logic that is dished out. It is at this point that self doubt creeps in and one starts questioning the very basic premise on which one had planned to adopt change. Self doubt clouds judgment, asks the wrong questions, let’s fear build a nest in our heart and mind and worse of all it triggers the process of making our commitment and intensity of purpose wane. The conflict in the mind has to then be resolved with one decisive blow but that is where we feel powerless to act. We are powerless to act because we are now paralyzed by the fear of failure.
The good news is that each of us has the courage to change but only if we overcome our fear of failure. The reality is that every person will fail numerous times in life and not surprisingly every one also attains success almost twice as many times. This needs a little explanation. We succeed twice once when we get up after failing and the second time when we don’t fail. Now if we see things in this light, it is crystal clear that our fear of failure is misplaced, unjustified and statistically probable only in the extreme case and even then success is assured because of the higher probability. So we can safely conclude that we need to simply tap into our courage that is dormant within us and be the change we want to see!
Remember: “Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.” Tom Krause
Try this:
- Before the week is out do something you have never attempted before. It could be writing a poem/ a song/ a limerick or a letter to the editor. Maybe it is the long delayed decision to buy a pet / indulge in some major spending to spruce up the house. Or it could be more life changing as popping the question to the person you love or simply making that big decision to quit a salaried job and start your own business or quitting your job after getting a new one. Please ensure that the later life changing decisions are well thought out and planned for and not done simply as an exercise in testing your courage to change.
- Read up on a different angle to the concept of change by clicking on the following link http://poweract.blogspot.com/2010/05/change.html
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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