Accelerated change is our new normal. The transformation that we are currently experiencing goes way beyond quarantine—life as we know it is changing and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. So how do we keep our center amid transformation?
The first step is to understand the nature of transformation and its essential function to keep life flowing. For any aspect of nature to exist over time, it must go through periodic transformations where the old is replaced by the new.
There are two types of transformation: organic and forced. Organic transformation is the natural unfolding of one of the landscapes of your life (relationships, job, habits) based on persistent effort and what I like to think of as radical authenticity. In other words, you show up as the most honest version of yourself and life unfolds accordingly. We delay transformation every time we engage in excessive people-pleasing while silencing ourselves. We also avoid or delay organic transformation when we procrastinate instead of doing what we know we know we need to do to move our lives forward.
Forced transformation, on the other hand, occurs when one of the landscapes of your life is abruptly destroyed or taken away. In this case, the energy that was previously expressed into that landscape has nowhere to go. When this happens, we feel a little lost, like, “what do I do now?”
The Coronavirus has led society into a forced transformation. Almost everyone has experienced the abrupt closure of at least one landscape in their life. Even those who are still working can no longer go to restaurants or the gym. There may be close relationships that are experiencing social distancing. What do we do with this energy that was previously flowing into these areas?
Here’s where we get to the bright side of transformation. In the case of the abrupt closure of one or more landscapes in your life, you are gifted with the time, energy and perspective to evaluate how fulfilling that landscape (relationship, job, habit) was. Fulfillment is the direct result of flow. If in retrospect, a particular landscape was not fulfilling, you might want to take a look at where it wasn’t flowing. Did you feel safe enough to show up as the most authentic version of yourself? Was there a dysfunctional dynamic that prevented you from speaking your truth? Was the habit adding value to your life or simply you behaving on autopilot?
When you evaluate your life from this elevated perspective, you have an opportunity to redirect your energy toward organic transformation and carve out new landscapes that not only fulfill you but lead to increased purpose and flow in all areas of your life.
For more on transformation, tune into episode 8 of my High Vibrational Life podcast: Life’s Design, Part 3