It turns out that being here is also crucial for creating change.
I know this from my Gestalt coaching training. The Paradoxical Theory of Change, proposed by Dr Arnold Beisser, is a brilliant insight. Essentially he suggests that ‘change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not.’
However, it was re-reading Bernadette Jiwa’s wonderful The Right Story: a brief guide to changing the world for the penny to drop that it’s at the heart of wider change. Picking up on people like B.J. Fogg and Robert Cialdini’s expertise in motivation and persuasion, she says: ‘Their work demonstrates that when we understand why we think, feel and behave the way we do, we improve our chances of creating the change we all want to see.’
So let’s pay attention to here and now, rather than chasing change as something that happens out there, in the future.
The image is the symbol for delta, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. In maths and economics, it’s used to signify change or difference – it’s a long time throwback for me. I use it all the time for shorthand…