After we have grounded ourselves and made clearer sense of the situation, the third step in using change to become stronger is to find more options to move forward.
In a time of change there are only three things we can know for sure. One is that we can’t predict what is going to happen. The second is that the approaches we used in the past might not work any more. And the third is that all ways forward are likely to be difficult.
This means that success in a time of change no longer comes from repeating what worked in the past. Success in a time of change comes from finding what will most inspire us and the people around us to wake up every morning longing to make it happen. The more options we find, the more likely this becomes: the more likely it is that we will find something that inspires us to do what needs to be done, no matter what difficulties arise.
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 said:
“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
And then he moved on to the next option.
Success in a time of change comes from finding new inspiration for the way the world could be.
What inspires you about the work you are doing today? What would happen if you were working on something that you (and the people around you) found even more inspiring? What would that be?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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