L. Eric Culverson - www.EricCulverson.com
This discussion series is an excerpt of my book: The Competence Myth - Why your technical skills are no longer enough and what you can do about it (based on Chapter 8: Becoming a Master of Change)
There are four steps to you becoming a master of change, the first was to Accept that something will simply never be the same, and the second was to proactively Connect with family, friends and loved ones, the third was to ‘Get Educated” and the fourth and final step to becoming a master of change is to “Take the Long Term View".
No matter what you’re circumstance is, or what issues you’re facing, chances are didn’t get to where you are overnight, and you certainly won’t find yourself in a much better place overnight.
“Take the long-term view” is an open invitation to take stock, really think about where we want to be, what it will take to get there, and then, and here’s the key, develop a plan of action that makes it a reality.
Now, at one time or another, almost everyone has done some level of “goal setting,” and we know that goal setting alone is no guarantee that you will reach those goals. But you also know that not setting goals pretty much guarantees that whatever happens, it won’t be you controlling it, because you’ve given up control, and left everything to fate and circumstance.
Your perspective is so important ‒ both near- and long-term! It’s so too easy to become overwhelmed by what is happening around us today. This is the daily “beat-down” that life sometimes throws at us. It’s not uncommon to get to a place of frustration and anxiety, and then just stay there.
And then what? Maybe we have one more cocktail than we might have in the past, just to take the edge off. Maybe we grab for that extra slice of cheesecake. Why not? Life’s a bitch, and then you die, right? Can I at least have one more slice of cheesecake?
Look, every significant accomplishment in our lives takes time. If you’re going to become a master of change, and if you are to leverage the many opportunities that change presents, then you must adopt a long-term view. But within that, you need a clear vision of where you want to be, even if the path to get there is not completely clear. It’s like “The road is “under construction”.
You are on your way to building a better you. You can get there ‒ and you will!
But you need a plan, preferably a written plan. You should have a formal, two- to four-year plan for your life. If nothing else, start journaling! “Take the long-term view” is an invitation to begin the gradual process of change each of us must undergo.
As the world around us changes, we must all adapt. You cannot remain the same yet hope to maintain the success you have known, much less achieve new levels of achievement.
What is your plan? Where do you want to go, and how will you get there?
I’m Eric Culverson, author of the competence Myth, why… thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time.