What is transformation?

The Cambridge Dictionary refers to transformation as being “a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved”.

If an organism does not transform, it stagnates and dies. And a death can take many forms – a sense of stagnation can lead to a life of quiet desperation or even a life that is not our own as we look to others to determine our purpose, our goals and how we spend our time. How else can we explain the extraordinary escalation in use of social media and social influencers - CNBC reported that in December 2021, Instagram reached the two billion monthly active user benchmark with Tik Tok snapping on its heels.

Change is inescapable

By the very nature of our existence, we are constantly changing. Change is inevitable and inescapable as, for example, not only are our bodies changing internally from the daily renewal of cells, but each new day also provides us with a new set of challenges and opportunities that we have not encountered before (though they may feel familiar). We are therefore, at any point in our lives, in the process of transformation.

What is required for intentional transformation?

However, as to whether that transformation will be complete depends on a range of factors in my experience:

• the starting point is me as per the maxim “know thyself” – we find it so easy to divert ourselves from self- reflection and discovering the pain of unfulfilled promise;
• transformation occurs from the inside out – whilst we can and often do exclusively focus on caring for our bodies, even the body will suffer if we do not look after our life force energy, our emotional, mental and spiritual health;
• a willingness to change – this is more than a desire to change; it is the willingness to do the work of transformation - as Theodore Roosevelt said “Nothing worth having comes easy.”;
• resistance will arise – from myself and others; it may feel easier to stay in my comfort zone and/or others may feel left behind or inadequate if they compare themselves. It is possible to work alongside this resistance and to continue to transform;
• it is not conducive to look externally for directions or validation as per the maxim “to thine own self be true” – this may not always be easy as it may feel like swimming against tidal current at times.

It sounds like hard work

With all this said, why would I want to transform completely?

• I want to live my life (free of the designs and desires of past and present caregivers, friends, colleagues and the prevailing culture espoused by social media);
• I am not happy or content;
• I wake up exhausted;
• I have lost sight of who I am (I have no clarity of purpose, I have no dreams, I have no goals beyond reaching the end of the day and perhaps even a glass of wine);
• Life feels like a grind;
• Surely, there must be more than this? There must be more than living on auto-pilot. A friend described his life experience “Same sh.., different day.”

What happened when I did the work?

The layers started to peel away, as happens with an onion, to get to the sweeter centre. The outer layers were darker colours of remembered negative experiences and negative self-narratives and these floated away and I was finally left with a translucent core and the colours of brighter, positive experiences.

I have found my feet, I have clarity of vision and I meet each day anew with a sense of excited anticipation.

I will be sharing more this month on the power of intentional transformation on my social media. Check out my social media and please follow, like and comment.