New Year, New You! Sounds great doesn’t it and who wouldn’t want the chance to refresh, revitalise or even reinvent themselves at the start of the year. To get you started, start by considering the why, where and what of change.
1. Do you know your why?
Deeply reflecting on why you really want to make a change takes your thinking to another level and ensures you set off along the right path. For example if you want to change your job is it because:
- You want to earn more money because that would make you feel more successful in your social circle?
- You want a permanent contract because this would give you a greater sense of security which you need because you’re recently single?
- The work you do in your current job is just not meaningful to you and you’re hoping that a change will give you more of a sense of purpose in life?
There’s no right answer to this question. Just be honest with yourself and at the end of the process you will really and truly know your why! Put it on your wall as inspiration to help keep you motivated in the months ahead.
2. Have you considered the whole picture?
When we think about change it’s normal to focus on the areas of our life in which we spend most of our time. For many professionals this means work, especially if your job contributes a huge amount to your identity and sense of self-worth.
In the holistic approach, we view each person’s life as a mosaic made up of different spheres which represent and meet different needs. In addition to professional needs you have: emotional, familial, social, spiritual and physical needs all of which need to be met for you to be fulfilled as a person.
When one aspect of your life e.g. work starts taking up all your time and energy the other aspects are neglected leading to a sense of imbalance which often manifests as stress, unhappiness or physical ill-health – prompting the desire for change. In such cases the solution can’t be found just by considering your work area. Rather this is the time to:
- Look at your life as a whole. Is it balanced or are one or two areas getting all your attention at the expense of the rest?
- Identify all the area (s) in which you know your needs are not being met and reconsider your options taking a holistic view e.g. if your social needs are not being met focus on how you can do this and across which spheres.
- (Re) Frame your change to focus on what you want to attract so instead of saying ‘I want to spend less time at work’ say ‘I want to spend more time with my friends’ which sets a positive intention you can work towards. As Socrates said:
‘The secret of change is to focus all of your energy on not fighting the old, but on building the new’
Author Bio:
Corporate Escapee turned Holistic Health Therapist, Reflexologist and Coach, Tricia Alach spent over 15 years living and working in NZ, Europe and the UK; leading learning functions, developing leaders and managing change. She is the founder of Flow Mind & Body and now spends her time working with people who want to adopt a more holistic approach to their lives – supporting them to make life-enhancing and sustainable change. She blogs at triciainflow and can also be found on facebook providing tips and inspiration on how to live happier, healthier and more holistically in each and every day.
