Communication Skills Tip: Transformation as a Road to Success

I have always strived towards personal change. I didn’t wake up one day and decide that I liked the idea. I have simply been drawn to personal development since I was a young girl. Whether I was aiming to perfect my vocal technique, build my acting abilities or increase my communication skills, I have always been drawn towards transformation as a road to success. There is no question that, as a young adult, there were times I wished I hadn’t had that inner drive. But today, I feel accomplished because of my continuous desire to become something better than I am. Personal development has to be a choice, not a requirement from your manager, your spouse or your friend. I have found many people in my Personal Best coaching practice resisting change rather than embracing it. Isn’t it interesting how as humans we often hold off on development? But why? Why push back change when it is the very thing that propels us forward? It’s fear, isn’t it? Fear of the unknown. Or, maybe it’s lack of belief--belief that something bigger or better or more successful is around the corner.

In Lanartco’s Tip of the week April 15, 2009, I mentioned the transformation of the butterfly. The growth stage of the caterpillar involves becoming strong, developing resiliency, and preparing for further transformation. Michelle L. Casto, life coach, compares the butterfly’s transformation to 5 stages of life transformation . In the second stage, the stage of the caterpillar, Michelle talks about there being a time of discomfort. We are growing, stretching and desiring to become something more. But it may hurt. Or it may be confusing. This is generally the time when most people learn if they have the courage to change. In this week’s tip, I suggested that your personal development has to include being open to absorbing new ideas and ways of thinking. How else can you take a development plan and turn it into actionable behaviors? The caterpillar wants to become the butterfly and before it does, not only does it need to absorb nutrients to grow, it also needs to rest quietly to digest. Coaching and personal development become a cycle of openness and contraction; discovery and confusion; renewal and reflection. In the last and final stage of the butterfly, Michelle Casto refers to the realization of the butterfly into flight as the conscious stage of the human being. This is where inner peace and joy appear reminding us that we are in control of our lives. This may sound hokey to some of you, but I bring up the subject this week because we are not only going through a change as a nation, but we are also going through a deep personal evolution as well. Let the current economic crisis be a permission slip for you to ask yourself some deep questions about your own transformational goals and your desire to become something true to yourself and your life’s work. Clear communication starts with us. Start asking yourself the difficult questions. That is, if you haven’t already. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com