Change Is Not Difficult 

Change is not difficult, transition is the challenge. The most difficult thing about change is rarely the change itself. The real difficulties lie much deeper in the soil this.
The first difficulty is feeling the need for change at all. Usually it is either extreme boredom or discomfort that leads us to even consider change, otherwise we would stay right where we were. This is one difficult bit.
The second difficulty is in identifying what to change….. Lots of internal soul searching whilst a process of elimination occurs…. “I’m not doing that again” and “I don’t want to work in this culture” and “I don’t want any more of that… ” lead to a refining process of choosing. This is also a difficult bit as it is invisible and potentially lonely.
A further difficult bit is, having chosen what to change, we need to choose how to do this…. This involves further delving, perhaps a reaching out and exploring, of new ways and skills and attitudes. We need to take risks and honour ‘hunches’ until we have evidence. We need to be able to rebound and recover swiftly when we have explored blind alleys, we need to forgive ourselves our mistakes and take the good bits forward, we need to use our strengths and hold our vulnerabilities, we need to have the courage to honour our journey and not sabotage it with our belief systems and surrender to the easy option bags return to our old ways. Thus is difficult because how can you hold the faith that it is all just as it needs to be when there is nothing yet to show for it?
Once, and only once you have been through these phases do you begin to reap the rewards. All the work outlined above is the ‘invisible’ transition. It is the building of the root network below ground that will sustain all the fruit of your labours…..
So this is the challenge. How to hold the faith in yourself and the process when nobody else can see the potential? Our world is built on goals and metrics and demonstrable success. It is only when you can hold true to your vision, allow a little time for the roots to grow deep and wide, that suddenly you find you have all the elements you need for your project and everything begins to line up.
Who who can you pull in towards you to enable you to hold true. Who can support you in your risk taking, who can cheer you on as you begin to tire of seeing few results in the deep winter of transition. Who can celebrate with you as the new shouts begin to appear?
See, the change is not the difficult bit. The change is visible and valued in this culture. The transition is the bit that is tender and unseen and needs nourishing and honouring and holding so that you can reap true, sustainable rewards in the long run.