Vol 2 Iss 5

As I write this, the lilacs are buried under snow and the temp is hovering around 30 degrees. Ahhh, springtime in the Rockies! In two days all will be melted and the lilacs will be wafting their perfumes in the air and we’ll be floating once again.

Isn’t it interesting how some things change so quickly, yet others take FOREVER? This month’s article is about the process of change and what you need for desired, or directed, change.

In the meantime, I’ll fill you in on what’s happening in my world. All my application materials have been received, and I’ve been contacted by Fielding to schedule my faculty interview for entering the Ph. D. program. As you might expect, I’m a little nervous.

Priscilla, my gremlin, is poking me with her sharpened pencil. She knows this represents a huge change for my life, and she really doesn’t like change. She says, “I mean, really, what are they going to ask? What makes you think you’d be good enough? What if they don’t like you? Are you nuts? – going back for an advanced degree at an advanced age? And what about the expense?? What are you thinking?”

She’s quite convincing because she knows exactly how to hit my hot buttons. All I know is that it’s something I just have to do. I love teaching and I love to help people grow. I want to know all there possibly is about those two things, and even discover things that nobody else has. That’s all I can focus on right now. The interview will just have to take care of itself. I’m clear.

So, what about you? What does your gremlin say when you start to take steps to make a significant change? Will you let it stop you?

I’d love to hear about your plans for change and I’d love to help you grow through them. Please send me an e-mail with your stories, even if you’ve never contacted me before. Be sure to put a subject line that doesn’t look like spam, because I’m pretty handy with the delete key.

And enjoy Spring ~ It’s such a welcome time of year.

PS. My daughter is at it again. She’s going to China this summer. Stay tuned for details and ways you can help!

“Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” ~ Elizabeth Kübler Ross

What You Need for Desired or Directed Change (Also Known as Improvement)

So you want to make a change, but every time you think about it you start feeling confused, or anxious, or frustrated. You have false starts, or change comes about so gradually you barely even notice that it’s happened. Please know that these are all appropriate responses to specific situations, and that you are not alone.

Remember this: When you want to make a change you need five things: vision, skills, incentives, resources and a plan. When any one of these is missing, then change just doesn’t happen and you’re left wondering what’s going on.

If you lack vision, but have skills, incentive, resources and a plan, what you feel is confusion. You’re hungry for meaning. You long to make a difference. Where do you want to be? If you’re confused, you might spend more time with your coach thinking of what you are trying to create. It’s in you. It really is.

If you have vision, incentive, resources and a plan, but don’t have adequate skills to complete your mission, you’re going to feel anxious. It feels as though someone is looking over your shoulder all the time judging you. You wonder when you’re going to be caught. (Here’s where my Priscilla gets her juice!) Sometimes it means recognizing and acknowledging your greatness; sometimes it means taking a class to improve your skills. What does it mean for you?

I once worked with a woman who had a beautiful vision, bountiful skills, adequate resources and a dang good plan, but the truth is, she was very comfortable with things exactly as they were. She had no incentive to change. Ninety percent of her needs were being met. This resulted in gradual change. If things are moving slower than molasses for you, take a deep look at your incentive. There may be unconscious satisfaction with the status quo.

But you may be frustrated. You have a grand vision, excellent skills, every incentive and a good plan, but what’s missing are resources. Either you don’t have them, or you don’t utilize what’s available to you. That’s pretty crazy-making. Working with a coach can help you identify what’s already present, what’s missing, and how to find what you need.

So what if you have vision, skills, incentive and resources, but no plan? Well, that could be the worst situation of all because you just have a series of false starts. It’s like getting in the car and heading out of town with a vague destination. “I’m going East.” You could end up in Florida, then Maine, and then Europe! All very nice places, but where do you want to go? A plan can help you get there faster.

Vision, skills, incentives, resources and a plan: you need them all to create effective change, whether it’s changing your job, your career, you home, your habits or wardrobe! (or anything else!)

When you’re ready to make a change, please contact me. I’ve witnessed hundreds of people navigate through change effectively and I know you can do it too!

If you’ll follow this link:

You will find a handout to print and put on your fridge. When you start feeling anxious or frustrated or notice false starts, it will remind you of these things.

Upcoming Events:

For the full listing of workshops, visit http://www.forwardmomentum.com.

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You are free to use material from Moving Forward! in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including a live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:

"By Debra DeVilbiss, CPCC, of Forward Momentum, LLC. Please visit Debra's website at http://www.ForwardMomentum.com for additional articles and resources on creating your right livelihood."

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