Are you wondering whether the changes you want to see happening in the world will ever come to be? Or whether or not the time, effort and energy you’re putting into your work is actually making a difference?
These are questions that have been really challenging for me…
I’ve been in the business of creating change for many years, and honestly I was scared about the recent change in our political direction here in the US. I managed my initial fear, as I’ve faced many fears – in my own business, in my client’s organizations and in my personal life – and now feel more hopeful than ever.
A time for hope
The reason for my hope can be summarized by sharing a recent client experience. We were talking about how people often react to a need for change by blaming someone or being in conflict with them. There’s usually some sort of compromise or sacrifice expected but instead people are digging in and resisting.
When the goal is creating change that gets at the root causes of problems, blame, compromise and sacrifice are NOT helpful. As my client said, “I want people to see how they are a part of the problem and to collaborate on solutions that work for everyone. I don’t want them blaming, compromising or sacrificing.”
The change I’ve been guiding this client organization through is a collective shift from reacting to responding which is what happens when individuals move from a DRAMA mindset into what I call a BEST SELF or ESSENTIAL BEST mindset.
So instead of immediately reacting to a problem, which doesn’t allow you to get at the root-cause issues, you take a pause and deep breath, calm your nervous system, and tap into better parts of yourself that are more capable of problem solving than reactive parts of you.
From here a further shift happens, which involves stepping more fully into your BEST SELF (the creative, resourceful, loving, abundant part of who you are) to CREATE innovative solutions that solve problems once and for all. You must change the way you think, or your consciousness, to create root cause solutions. When you change how you think, you change how you act.
Real innovation can happen ONLY when you STOP blaming
The challenge with acting from DRAMA is that you create more DRAMA which makes it impossible to determine the root cause issue, let alone come up with a creative solution that doesn’t involve blame. You must get yourself and your team into the creative space of your ESSENTIAL BEST SELVES for real innovation to happen.
For example, in the realm of politics, a person might blame people who are greedy for the problems of the world. Another person might blame environmentalists for making it more difficult for business owners to make a profit. Whether it’s from the left or the right, people are reacting and blaming rather than doing the work of innovative and creative problem solving.
Within a business, you might want your innovative ideas to be heard, but the people around you are not listening. You can blame them for not being able hear or act on your ideas. Or you can be a leader and get to the work of learning what it would take to influence in your organization OR go someplace that is READY for the visionary you!
Whether we’re talking about politics or business, it’s the same kind of challenge: it can be difficult to engage people in what you’re seeing as possible and so you revert to reacting to the problem which simply perpetuates the problem. For example, blaming greedy people or environmentalists solves nothing.
Reactive scarcity thinking is THE obstacle to change
The first step in creating lasting change is to STOP being reactive and move into being your creative ESSENTIAL BEST SELF. We are being worn down by the old ways of blaming, reacting, compromising, and making others the enemy. This scarcity win/lose battle of resisting and fighting is not working anymore. A shift in YOU is what creates real change, a shift into a more creative and compassionate way of being.
One way you can know whether you’re reacting or creating is to look a how compromise plays out. Compromise has become a pernicious part of scarcity thinking where concessions and flexibility are far from mutual. Instead, winners get what they want and losers are expected to suck it up and go along with the majority. Give one up for the team! Abandon your integrity for the sake of a greater good!
If you’re asking people to compromise and there are winners and losers in the process, you are reacting to a problem, and creating more problems. You are not actually creating compromise; you are forcing your will on others.
If you’re creating compromise where all parties involved feel they have maintained personal integrity as well as found a solution that reflects the diversity of perspectives involved in the process, then you are being truly innovative.
How many of you feel confident in creating true compromise and innovative solutions? In creating REAL change?
I’m hopeful about our ability to create real change because that’s what I’ve been creating with my client organizations, in my own business, and in my personal life for years now.
I’m confident in creating real change because of my ability to shift from scarcity to abundance thinking, which is characterized by knowing you can create what you want and support others in ALSO creating what they want. Real changes happens when you DO NOT make anyone an enemy, or dig in your heels and resist, or build walls between people, or blaming others, or expect anyone to give up their personal integrity.
Abundance thinking clears the way forward
With abundance thinking, you develop confidence in your ability to create what you want for yourself and others. You become flexible and be resilient in how you create solutions. You create innovative solutions that solve root cause issues that ALSO work for everyone involved.
I’ve seen these innovative solutions happening in both the business world and in families. What’s required is stepping out of blame and scarcity thinking, and into a new story and a new paradigm of abundance. What’s required is for YOU to step into a new story that you want to create, and to invite others to join you.
What you need to know and remember is that this world is big enough and abundant enough to hold the diversity of perspectives that each and every person offers. Moreover, we NEED people’s gifts and talents and perspectives to be a part of innovative solutions.
Every person holds a piece of the puzzle
Like a puzzle that is not complete without each and every piece, what’s needed are the perspectives each person brings to create the real change that is possible and needed for us to transcend the division that pervades so many of our interactions.
You might think what I’m sharing are “pie in the sky” ideas, but actually they realistic based on experiences I’ve been creating in my personal life, with individual clients, and with corporate clients for decades.
These ideas are working where people are stepping up and being brave, being willing to be different, and being willing to explore alternative ways of getting things done that honor and respect ALL people involved. Trying to create solutions and order by making people behave in “appropriate ways” or by categorizing them as “good” or “bad” has got to end.
I offer these ideas up as a vision of hope, as a vision of possibility, and as a vision of reality that many of us are experiencing today; it’s not something we have to wait for. It’s something that we know how to do NOW.
You could be the key creating innovative solutions
So if you want to know more about how to create innovative solutions, let me know. The process that I’ve developed is called IAMX; it results in real change via a repeatable and reliable process.
Discover your Genius, so that you can be happy, and influential, and successful at work or in whatever the situation is you are working at…so that you create what it is that you passionately care about in the world.
Again, let me know the questions or thoughts about this, I’d love to know what you are thinking and we’ll continue this conversation. This article is just the beginning… More is coming soon!