In this fourth part of our five-week series on navigating transitions I’m calling Be a Taker, I’m offering a series of tools to help you Take Action. Action is motivating, and when we are feeling untethered by change, having a few simple things to try doing can be really helpful. Here you go!
Imagine: Paint a vivid picture, in your mind or your journal or elsewhere, of the future you would like to step into. What if things go amazingly well — what would that look/feel/smell/taste like? Be as detailed as possible in describing what you know so far about the future you want. We don’t just inherit the future — we shape it — and articulating what we want it to look like is a powerful first step.
Stretch: Take a small risk. Put yourself into an uncomfortable situation. Embrace what Michael Bungay Stanier would call a “worthy goal” that is thrilling, daunting and noble. Stretching beyond your normal range, even a little bit, can set a new baseline of change tolerance that is likely to come in handy later.
Experiment: What’s something you can try? Just try? This posture of experimentation helps to lower the stakes — and when we are experiencing stress, we tend to escalate the importance of decisions that can stay small. Don’t assume you have to get it right or do it forever. Play a lighter game for awhile and see what you learn.
Anticipate: Put something on your calendar to look forward to. If it requires you to learn or do something to get ready for it, so much the better. (For me, that sometimes involves working hard between now and then to earn the money it costs to pay for the conference I just registered for!)
I find these tools fun — I hope you do too!