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My friend Melissa is a creativity coach who helps people to reclaim their creative selves. Recently she said something that really resonated with me with respect to making a making a mindset shift. (You can see a video of her talking about this here.)
She said that in her experience there are three vital ingredients for change. They are:
- A role model
- A supportive community
- A toolkit of information and advice
When I stopped and looked back on some of the big changes I’ve made in my own life, not just in mindset, but tangible changes in career, relationships, and even psychological healing, I realized that these things all made a difference in how smoothly the change went.
1. A Role Model
Sometimes the hardest part of making a big change is simply deciding and committing to taking a chance. What if it doesn’t work out? What if you fail? Or, just as paralyzing, what if you succeed? How much easier would it be to make the leap if you had the guidance and wisdom of someone who’d already walked a similar path?
How do you find a role model? Quite simply: ask. Tell everyone you know what you’re planning to do and ask if they know anyone who might talk to you. Social media is a great tool for making those kinds of connections.
And don’t be afraid to ask people you don’t know personally. My own experience has been that most people are more than happy to talk about the successes in their lives and share their wisdom with others.
2. A Supportive Community
Even if you’re stepping confidently towards your new life, at some point, things might get sticky and having someone to fall back on to ask questions, get a boost, or just vent can be invaluable.
You can find an in-person or online support group for just about anything, from changing to careers to dealing with a serious illness. If you can’t find one, create your own. Tools such as Ning.com, Meetup.com, and even Facebook make it easy to find your tribe and help one another along.
3. A toolkit of information and advice
Just as you wouldn’t set off on a road trip or a backpacking adventure without a map or GPS, some knowledge of the terrain and services en route, and appropriate supplies for the journey, making a life leap without first gathering tools and information is a recipe for disaster.
Don’t know what you don’t know? This is where your role model and support community become worth their weight in gold. If you have a question, odds are one of them has had the same question at some point and found the necessary answer.
Change is hard, but arming yourself with these basic tools can make the journey ahead an awful lot smoother.
