Whoever said change was easy? It’s sure worth it though when we get to the other side.
I’ve just come to a critical juncture in a large piece of work I’ve been involved in. Like any complex project, there have been several teams, lots of people and a large number of moving parts involved.
We’re now at the end of the first phase of work. In so many ways it has been the most critical. It’s where teams form, people click – or not – and where we shape the vision and define more clearly the path for the way forward.
It’s been Exciting. Frustrating. Fun. And Challenging. All in equal measure.
We’re at the crossroads now. Between talking, proposing, and planning. And mobilising, acting, and doing.
This provides an essential opportunity for reflection. Like the pause between breaths, it’s this space in between that offers the real opportunity for recalibration and transformation.
What went well?
Who did I work effectively with?
Who could I have supported more? Or interacted with more positively?
What would I do differently or better next time?
What will I take forward?
What mindsets, attitudes and behaviours will I let go?
The process of reflection asks us to adopt the role of the Observer. Someone who can step outside the situation and see it objectively and as it really is.
Without layering in explanations, stories or excuses.
Just as it is. The good. And the not so good.
Strangely enough, mindfulness and meditation ask us to play precisely this role. It provides a space where we can step out of the small self and into our true Self. In this state we can observe everything that we are with a balanced sense of abiding equilibrium and an open mind that can embrace the positive and redress the negative with impartial acceptance, compassion and without judgment.
Pause.
Reflect.
Reset.
Refocus.
It’s not always comfortable. In fact, it’s usually rather uncomfortable.
Then again, whoever said transformation was easy?
Katherine Mair
M.A.D. Creator