Day 11: Change takes time

The further I get into this project the more I am realizing that this will not be a quick transition.  In fact moving from the relative safety and security of a corporate job to that of an independent requires an immense amount of courage.  I have a vision and I am committed to reaching it.  That means I am willing to put in the required effort, enjoy my successes, and learn from my failures.  This is really as much about a career transformation as it is about a personal maturation.

The more I read and research leadership I know there is a real need for what I do.  Organizations are desperate for answers on how to deal with increasing complexity and the speed of change in our global economy. I have started by creating a framework, I have dubbed the Success Architecture.  The center of it all is purpose.  This is critical for without a true sense of purpose, specific goals, and a vision we have no hope of changing.  For the first time in my life I am experiencing these and it is truly liberating and difficult at the same time.  At this point there is a constant battle between the old and new, the resistance to change, and the threat of giving in and going back to what I know.  I must keep my vision in the forefront of my mind and embrace the metamorphosis that has begun.

I am currently reading two books at the moment.  The Power of Focus and Thinking for a change.  I didn't know at the beginning that they would be so complimentary.  A primary component of developing focus is learning and taking the time to think and reflect.  I have a great deal of work to do in this category.  I don't really set aside time for thinking and therefore I have kind of let life happen instead of going after what I want.  As I work through this book I am trying to implement the steps from each section as they hold the promise of powerful change when practiced with discipline.  Right now I am in the process of capturing my 101 goals which I will then categorize into 1, 3,5,10 year timeframes.  I have not taken the time to dream like this ever, which probably explains why my singular focus became work.  I am about a third of the way towards defining my 101 goals.

I also stumbled across a program called the Leadership Circle which also espouses these concepts and has developed a framework that quantifies the leadership characteristics of an individual, giving them a baseline from which to begin their journey.  I am going to participate in their training/certification process this year.

Taking some time for learning has been rewarding, insightful, and enabled me to recalibrate my trajectory.