I am rather smitten with the idea of transformation. Utterly fascinates me.
It fascinates me how common things like today’s newspaper gets recycled into tomorrow’s paper towels. Like how left over table scraps can become food for tomorrow’s flowers.
Magical things fascinate me, too, like how a little baby grows into a tall adult.
And then there are amazing things like how simple trial and error leads to a new invention that changes the world. Like the light bulb. Or the Internet.
To some of these things we say, “Yes, but…”
Yes, but that’s nature’s way of doing things – has nothing to do with me.
Yes, but that’s somebody like Thomas Edison. That’s somebody like Steve Jobs. Not somebody like me.
Rarely, it seems, do we say, “Yes, but…I can do that, too.”
But it’s more than possible.
You absolutely have the power to transform things.
You.
And you can do it all by yourself, when you think about it.
You can transform the challenge of sickness into the relief of healing, just by talking about it in a different way.
As in, “I am on my way toward remission.”
You can transform the stress of working with a difficult person into calm productivity, just by managing your own energy and being an advocate for yourself.
As in, “I am not jumping into that drama with him. No, I am not.”
You can transform your business from struggling to succeeding, just by focusing on your strengths and what really matters.
As in, “Despite the advice of marketing gurus, I know I am an introvert and not at my best in large networking events. I’m going to meet people my own way.”
It’s daunting and a little confusing to think that you have any power to change anything. Because so many of us have lived our lives believing we’re at the mercy of others. That power belongs to someone else. That we’re small, insignificant, unable.
But we’re not.
I know you’re not.
The power to transform – to shift one thing into another – is your greatest superpower.
And, if you open your eyes and see, you will find that you use this great skill of yours every day, in ways large and small.
Every time you open a door, turn a corner, start a new document, begin a conversation, you have the ability to transform one thing into something else.
And guess what? The more you use this superpower, the stronger it will get.
The stronger you will get.
So begin today. Begin by transforming where you are right now, to where you’d like to be.
And that’s as easy as getting up from your chair and moving some place else.
I adore your posts, as you know. But I disagree with the example of saying “I am on my way toward remission.” I do believe that our mental state does impact our physical state, but sometimes, no, a person is not on their way toward remission. Sometimes, cancer takes over. The networking example? Spot on. By all means, make the decision to meet people your own way. Deciding to stay above the fray in a work drama? Sure. But on a health issue? Sometimes mind over matter just isn’t enough.
In that instance, Beth, one can transform one’s suffering by envisioning remission. By being on the way to healing. In the moment, it helps. And you are right, remission is not promised. But is a wonderful goal. When I wrote that part, I was thinking about a friend who is at this pivotal moment himself. Focusing on remission is a way of managing his energy. And, to that end, it’s working. Which matters, right?
It’s so hard to let go of the shore and journey onto the ocean. Will the journey be too hard? exhausting? Will the transformation be worth the effort?
I think the real magic is in the moment of cast off, the recommitment mid-journey, the slogging through the blistering brutality of exhaustion until finally the result is almost anticlimactic. And yet, on every real level, each moment holds it’s own transformation – if only the transformation of ‘thank you’ from ‘I can’t.’
Great thoughts for a Sunday, Michele! 🙂
Indeed. If it helps him (and others), it is worthwhile.
It just struck me as such a stark example compared to the other two. The other two are indeed “doable” in terms of an end result. The first, sadly, not always.