The truth about change isn’t willpower
“What got you here won't get you there.”
- Marshall Goldsmith
With the kick-off to Creativity Lab last Friday, I’ve been thinking a lot about creativity work as an invitation to change work. I’m also in deep with a lot of organizational change literature as part of my consulting work.
Here are some themes I’m noticing:
You have to want change. And wanting isn’t enough. Willpower isn’t an effective change technique.
You have to build new neural pathways with nudges - small movements - that (1) shift your mindset to be more open and (2) engage new behavioral patterns.
You have to then do it all consistently enough over time as you continue to reset your nervous system through embodiment and connection.
Creativity work creates a structure to cultivate your awareness that shifts your patterns from ones that aren’t working for you anymore into ones that support your dreams.
The invitation is to show up to which work calls to you and to let the rest go. That process is a big shift for many of us, but is critical to feeling more empowered and in control of your choices. Marshall Goldsmith notes that many successful folks know what to do, but not what to stop doing. So true.
Often my clients know what they could’ve, would’ve, should’ve done, but lack clarity on their patterns and mindsets that keep driving the unwanted behavior. That’s where I come in, to help you see those patterns that you’ve been tolerating. The power in learning your patterns is it gives you back control of your decisions - this knowledge puts you in a proactive position rather than constantly reacting and caught in drama.
Creativity work is a relearning to follow your intuition and joy.
This requires you to break the pull of responding in all the could’ve, would’ve, and should've patterns you’re used to. The person you are right now is a collection of stories (that fuel those patterns) from childhood, education, culture, incidents, and interactions all along the journey of our life.
Creativity work includes practices to open you up to more possibilities.
This happens when you intentionally choose your response rather than ones chosen for you or as a protective response to others from your past.
“Many people enjoy living in the past, especially if going back there lets them blame someone else for anything that’s gone wrong in their lives. That’s when clinging to the past becomes an interpersonal problem… When we make excuses, we are blaming someone or something beyond our control as the reason for our failure. Anyone but ourselves.” - Marshall Goldsmith
When you react from the stories and memories of the past, you tend to get caught more in the drama trauma patterns. Getting out of the past blaming allows you to open up to more possibilities. It’s about developing your skill set at both/and thinking which provides some protection against burnout, rustout, and exhaustion.