The Joy of Change

“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them”–Albert Einstein

It seems an oxymoron to put joy and change in the same sentence – a short sentence at that! But this is my next mission – to help people understand that change is possible and can be joyful. We know change is the only constant in todays world of complexity and chaos, and that the bulk of a leaders job is to facilitate changes in people’s behaviors.

The good news is that research in a field called neuroplasticity has become popular and proves that we CAN change! We are not hard wired. A leopard CAN change its spots. Well, maybe a leopard can’t, but we can!

Essentially, neuroplasticity describes the brains ability to set up new connections- everything in life is about connections, at a brain and heart level.

THE BRAIN LEVEL- AND THE POWER OF FOCUS AND ATTENTION

I somehow knew this when I was 23 and practicing as a new, enthusiastic, and excited physical therapist. I was working in the neurological ward and I have no idea how I knew this, but I did!

I used to explain to my stroke patients that the first time they managed to control or regain an isolated movement, a tiny scratch would be etched on their brain. Each time they repeated this movement or action the scratch would become deeper and deeper until it was so deep that the movement became automatic and at that point, they did not have to think and work incredibly hard to make their toe move.
Initially they had to focus very hard and pay extreme attention to every aspect of the movement. It had to be a very conscious brain effort.

This is in essence what neuroplasticity says – VERY simplistically! If we focus our brains attention on what it is we want to change and repeat it frequently, we can make new connections and lay down new pathways.

The more we do it, the easier it becomes, until finally we don’t even have to think about doing it – it is automatic.

As an aside, if we continually focus on the negative aspects of anything, those connections and neural pathways are reinforced – until they become your automatic response – you don’t even know you are officially a pessimist! Pay attention to what you focus on in life -the good or the bad. If it’s the bad/difficult/ struggles/ down sides of things – today is the day to re hardwire your brain by consciously focusing on the positive, optimistic side of everything.

THE MORE YOU DO IT, THE BETTER YOU ARE AT IT

An accountant has a bigger, more connected brain in the area of formulae and numbers than I do! A surgeon has a highly developed dexterity part of the brain. A great salesperson has a huge ‘relationship corner’! A jeweler has exceptional eyesight and precision hand movements. In other words, if you have spent a long time learning about and practicing a skill, your brain will have different ‘lumps and bumps’ from someone who specialized in another area!

Remember, I said this was simplistic, but the essence of it is correct.

THE HEART LEVEL- THE KEY IS EMOTIONAL CONNECTION AND AN ‘AH HA’ MOMENT!

What really worked back when I was 23 was what I unknowingly did at a heart level. The excitement and enthusiasm I felt for, and showed my patients at any little change, and my belief and absolute faith they would be able to do it, was what transformed them. It motivated them to keep going and keep trying – it touched their hearts and my faith made them feel they could do it.

Change is all about how people feel about themselves and what they believe they can do – and what is in it for them to change.

I believe we can change in a heartbeat given the right conditions and context. Think of times in your life when you have made an instant decision -and it changed the way you did things from that minute.

Think back in your life to a time when you made such a change. Often the decision to make that change comes in a heartbeat. Because you had an ‘ah ha’ moment which I believe is a moment of revelation in your heart. If we try to change just from our brains, it takes 60-90 days for a change to stick and we have to repeat it a lot!

Making judgments about people is part of the human condition – one we need to overcome – and are often a good example of changing in a heartbeat. How many times have you privately judged someone only to find out something about them that made you feel instant shame that you thought what you thought? And you changed – your perception, feelings and actions. We never know the truth about anyone else unless we have walked in their shoes.

People will begin a change process when they FEEL – in their heart – they want to change. They hate it when other people impose change on them, force them to change, or tell them how to change! For them to own the change and make it joyful, they have to emotionally connect with some aspect of the process and have an ‘ah ha’ moment in which they realize the value of the change for them personally. The ‘what’s in it for me if I change’ component.

Lou Gerstner, when he was turning IBM around, discovered that facts and figures did not work! He found he had to go out, speak with all the people at IBM and literally and metaphorically ‘touch’ everyone in the company – he had to inspire them emotionally to embrace the change and drive it. He wanted them to be proud of what they did and also of the company.

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