Change is like breathing

It was a turning point for me when I realized that our trainings do not help people change: people change continuously and naturally. Change is like breathing: we do it while we are alive, and if we do it then we know we are alive.

We also do not help people manage change. I'm not even sure what that would mean, although if I ask myself what change is like I find myself imagining a force of nature -- rain that does not fall or falls too hard, a toddler at a candy stand, days that get shorter just as I want them to get longer. I'm not convinced that "management" is a good paradigm for such forces.

We do teach people that change can be directed: outcomes matter. Forming an intent effectively changes the way change flows through your life. It's like the moment when you decide to catch the wave. Sometimes it brings you to shore in a rush, and sometimes it carries you just far enough so that you can catch the next wave. Your choice is in catching the wave and working with it; the wave comes without your intent and moves you whether or not you choose to play with it. Choosing to play gives you more options. And more fun.

Have you noticed that by the time you notice that you have changed your mind, the change has already happened?

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