After we have grounded ourselves and made clearer sense of the situation, the third step in using change to become stronger and more valuable is to find more options for how we might move forward.
When so much around us is changing all at once, there are only three things we can know for certain. One is that we cannot predict what is going to happen. The second is that ways of doing things that used to work in the past might not work in the future. And the third is that all ways forward are likely to be difficult.
Success in a time of change no longer comes from being able to predict the future or repeat the past: it comes from finding what will most inspire us, and the people around us, to long to make it happen, no matter what the difficulties. And the more options we find, the more likely it becomes that we will find that most inspiring option.
Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb by looking for better ways of making candles. He succeeded because he felt inspired to change the world. And each time he ‘failed’ he simply said:
“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
Then he moved on to his next attempt.
The more options we find, the more likely we become to discover our ‘lightbulb’ way forward: the outcome or future we most long to create.
What inspires you about the work you do today? What would happen if you were working on something that inspired you (and the people around you) more?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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