A Scintillating Sense of Spice

You learn a lot about communicating over four years in a challenging environment, make a lot of friends in the process and understand well what you don't understand about communicating...

Suddenly is Just a Perception

A city building seems to appear overnight! Despite the daily disruptions to traffic and pedestrians, the noise and the occasional waft of dust, most of the toil is hidden. Barricades appear early, supporting health and safety and containing the collating of the nuts, bolts and concrete of construction.

The barricades mask the goings on with visual trickery. Appealing mural images appear that mimic nature, perhaps an ocean theme, rain forest or open desert plains.

We know intellectually that meticulous work goes on, but we have no real sense of it.

Long before the site is prepared, ideas spark and money lights the flame, lest there is no manifesting the idea. Land is cleared, and the creative work begins. Plans are drawn and submitted, approvals sort and checked.

Back at the site... over time the foundations are laid, tiers are constructed, utilities are connected, the face begins to take shape while the fixtures and fittings add polish and pizzaz.

We know construction is taking place and we participate as onlookers, at a distance, no hands in the dirt for us. Still it seems one day, almost overnight, this building appears as the barricades come down and the spectacle reveals itself!

Suddenly! to the eye it appears, how amazing! Why? Because we are removed from the minute actions over extended time that made it reality. Regardless of positive or negative aspects, situations and results that suddenly appear are created by minute movements in a particular direction over time.

Like bear and bull markets, fortunes won and lost as well as overnight success and downfall... suddenly is just a perception!

It seems that so many people who are feeling frustrated with not making progress on their dreams of bettering themselves, talk to me of their frustrations with themselves... the ought to have done, the want to do and the wish to do. They look at others who have "made it" and it looks so easy from a distance!

Intellectually they want to take up something or give up something to make dreams reality, but the will does not always support the skill!

Here is the thing... you may have heard (me say) that to trigger internal change you need a reason big enough or consequence dire enough but that is not sufficient to action change, that is merely the trigger.

Let's assume you are brilliant and you have the answers, since you do! Think about a situation where you have successfully effected change for yourself... what was it that effected the change? How can you take a higher perspective to extract the approach? How can you use that information to help you now?

Let's now assume that, armed with that knowledge, you can do with some extra insights to flip your knowledge into wisdom.

The usual pattern for non-change is decide, try, regress, try, regress, feel guilt, feel angst, forget progress made, indulge in the unwanted behaviour etc, etc "Oh my goodness it is too hard, I can't do it, I'll never do it"

Best think about the building. Firstly remember that there is always a price to pay. What are you prepared to pay to get the result? It may be time, different daily choices or actual money! Whatever it is, recognise and begin the instalments.

Secondly, driving yourself to change is macro and it happens with micro steps. Every single micro measured step in the right direction gets you to your objective. Measure your success by these micro steps... in the right direction.

Use your visual trickery to mask the gradual progress, you have a secret! It looks as if nothing is happening and others will continue to see you as you are. Often you may feel unsupported by others, but they can't feel what you feel and they may seem to thwart your efforts.

You though, know better and... when you have taken sufficient easy, micro steps, and as you begin to feel the result of easy consistent effort effect the change, they will see it... sudden change! Then they will celebrate with you and adopt you as their hero.

One of my favourite quotes is an excerpt from writing by Goethe "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it" Go on! Have a go!

Until next month get a clear perception of what you want and suddenly begin the micro to macro way to change!

Noelene Dawes