Each day we constantly face two options—go with the new, or resist and stay with what we know. It’s really that simple. Well, just about. There’s lots of shades of gray between the two but, it really does boil down to choosing to resist the new, or inviting change. There are implications with either.

Staying overly committed and resisting change leaves us unfulfilled, lethargic, frustrated, and frankly, bored, and not innovative. We see this with organizations that reach success and cling to hubris only to die of stagnation. On the flipside, when we engage—turn towards and invite what’s different—we can become unsettled, uncertain, and fearful, yes, but also, enlivened, engaged, and innovative. That is, assuming we’re not whimsically choosing everything anew just for novelty sake or to avoid commitment. After all, some things are worth not changing. But when it comes to growing our mindset choosing new ways of being and behaving awakens, tunes us in to the now moment moving into life with curiosity and a sense of renewal. We are empowering ourselves by becoming the determinant, not an accidental cause of what we will become, steering by our purpose towards the direction of our unique, true, and authentic life. We are acting with inspiration, living life propelled by our own unique vision all of which doesn’t happen by standing on the sidelines with our arms crossed.

Transitions
Just about every day of our lives we face situations that call us to us multiple possibilities to (re)awaken and engage us. Sometimes, actually, usually, the ones we pay most attention to, come unexpectedly by times of difficulty, loss or confusion.

When we see it on the news, a volcano may have seemed to erupt suddenly, but geologists know that accumulating layer-upon-layer of pressure by eons of inner energies comingling below the earth’s surface form a potent molten core that eventually erupts and explodes above the earth’s surface. Just like that, we can erupt after eons of pressure. We can be shaken by the unexpected, adverse, difficult, and confusing. But, that’s not a given. There’s no rule that says we have to be shook into changing. And, there’s no rule that says change has to be painful, threatening, explosive, or scary. Exactly the opposite can be true. When we learn to intuit, anticipate, encourage, shape, and cultivate what’s wanting to come forth within, among and around us, we can lead ahead of, change. That’ what visionaries do. A visionary understands the anatomy of wanting. They attune to its early signs (and there will always be early signs) which allows them to move in cadence with the emerging new. We each have the capacity to be visionaries. . . if, we know what to listen for and how to listen.

The Anatomy of Wanting
The start of every change has three parts—a condition (of wanting), a precipitating event, and a stream. Wanting is a creative, pregnant, mature condition readying and yearning for something different from the status quo. William Bridges, author of Transitions Making Sense of Life’s Changes, said, “This is a time of fertile emptiness where things begin anew.” By our nature, we are all evolving creatures with wanting innate to us. It’s so innate that we cannot stop it. A new order is always wanting to sprout from us so that we can become more adaptive—able to accommodate more complexity, variety and range of experiences. Wanting all about having greater capacity and presence in life for creating joy and abundance. In a word we are here to, thrive.

A precipitating event usually makes itself known in the manner as noted scientific historian, Thomas Kuhn, described—when we experience sudden shifts—spurts, leaps and bounds—in our prevailing paradigm of reality. A precipitating event isn’t change itself, it’s the wake-up call to change., our call to attune. Sometimes the precipitating event is like a drizzle. When we respond and turn towards it we are in cadence with our self; we get what we need. Other times when we react by turning and resisting, we are crafting a crisis. Then the next precipitating event will come thundering down.

Finally, the third part of the start of every change is a stream—a start to a route appears for going where you want to be. Just as every watershed has streams as tributaries that feed into a river current and eventually end up at its final destination—an ocean or sea—there are streams of development that you can take to yours. There are many possible to choose among, about 100, or so. The art of change comes by knowing what you are wanting, finding your own unique stream.

So what we are considering so far, is that change happens after a precipitating event ignited by something readying and wanting to come into existence.