Over the last three days I have shared some Tips for Change, yet all these will remain as simply tips or 'ideas' unless you start to ground them into some kind of action.
As mentioned in the post about Getting Out of Your Own Way one of the challenges we face when engaged in 'personal change' and 'development' is the potential conflict between the YOU NOW and the YOU TOMORROW. Of course setting targets and creating a future vision of yourself is important, but being kind to the 'old you' that is being transformed is also important.
A useful technique is to create a personal charter for development.
Start with a set of aspirational I AM statements.
Some of you may remember the boxer, Muhammed Ali. He had, what I would argue was one of the best personal mission statements ever....
"I AM THE GREATEST"
This wasn't some simple boast, it was an attitude.
He believed that:-
"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Affirmations aren't simply the fluffy words we say to ourselves, they are backed by solid, considered, planned actions. In Muhammed Ali's case it was his commitment to the training, which he hated, and paying meticulous attention to detail.
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion"
He had a particular view a vision if you like, that motivated him always, and pushed him when necessary. He noted that ..
"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe".
We can be the pebbles in our own shoes - the blocks to our success.
We can be the ones that make our challenges tougher and our personal mountains higher and steeper.
The value of I AM statements is that they are not only aspirational, but will encompass values and inform behaviours.
For example ...
I AM dedicated to empowering others.
OK, so here it becomes obvious that there is a personal value or belief about empowerment and a desire to help others.
It also requires me to think about what kind of behaviours I would need to engage in in order to be that 'empowerment machine'
How do I actually relate to others?
How do I communicate their worth, not simply my own?
What do I physically do in order to be the I AM I want to be?
Ali's "I am the Greatest' was not an idle boast, but was backed by ACTION, DESIRE and COMMITMENT to what he thought made him 'The Greatest'.
Here's the point - it was HIS definition of 'GREATEST' and it was his actions in the world that made him so.
So, what would happen if you created a series personal I AM statements - remember these are aspirational, and then created a description of the behaviours that would reflect those statements.
I AM worthy of love
IAM a successful person
I AM inspiring change (in myself and others).
Of course, you have to be clear about what phrases like 'successful person'. worth of love' and 'inspiring change' mean to you.
Here's another thought...
These I AM statements allow you to create, for yourself, a personal MISSION STATEMENT that is based firmly within your belief and value system and informs your behaviours and interactions. I know of a number of people who have added such a personal mission statement to the top of their C.V.'s which has, in their cases, proven to be a successful thing to do.
Your I AM and PERSONAL MISSION statements inform your behaviours, and where necessary let them know what you stand for.
Alan
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