What if there was a tool or process at your disposal that would help you to confidently move through life, personally and professionally, in a way that felt truly aligned? Would you want to know more?
A few years ago, I developed a model that I’ve come to use in a variety of ways. In addition to using it as the foundation for my coaching and training programs, I also use it continuously in navigating my own path. It’s called the Owning Change Model for Transformation and it emerged it the most organic and powerful way.
The 60 second version of the story is this: Several years back, I knew I needed and wanted change in my life. Because I was genuinely ready, the right resources and people appeared and begin to show me new possibilities for how I might live. I paid attention. I did the work. And my life began to look and feel dramatically different. When I decided to support others in taking their own leaps, I looked back at how things had unfolded and realized that there were three powerful parts of my journey.
Here’s the model that materialized:
There are only three phases in the cycle and the model can be used to support any level of change that you want to step into in your life. And it can also be used to work through the daily challenges that you might encounter. I find it of particular value in my work, because it can be used at both the level of the individual or the organization.
Its beauty is this: No matter the challenge, whether it be big or small, personal or professional, the model can be used to move forward and up. I’ve used it when I’ve felt lost. I’ve used it to figure out what to do when facing a business challenge. And I’ve even used it in areas like navigating relationships. Quite simply, it works. And I invite you to use it in your life and career as well.
Here are the three phases of the model:
Phase One: RECONNECT
Do not attempt to face any challenge or launch in any new direction in your life until you have done the work of phase one, which is reconnecting with you. This is where you shift to self-discovery mode and you turn over one stone after another until you rediscover your own pulse and your own essentials. What are your values, your dreams, your fears? What lights you up? What causes you to stumble? What are your emotional triggers? What things do others love about you? What feels aligned? What does not? Journaling, personality assessments, 360 evaluations, quietude, prayer, meditation or any form of self-reflection that leads to your rediscovering the many shades of you are recommended during this phase. If you’re using the model to manage a challenge versus initiate change, then the essence remains the same. The goal is to consciously reconnect with what is most important to you with regard to the issue at hand.
Power Question: Who am I and what is most essential to me?
Phase Two: REFRAME
Once you have a better sense of self, then it’s time to bring things into alignment. There’s a good bit of work that must be done in phase two, but it is, without question, worth every ounce of energy that you will expend. This is where you examine the mental models and belief systems that landed you where you are and you reconstruct them, frame by frame and block by block. You question any preconceived notions about what things must look like and how they must unfold and you develop a way of framing your situation in a way that places you in a seat of power. A new mindset and new behaviors are the order of the day.
Power Question: What is the gift in this situation and how can I use it to grow?
Phase Three: RECOMMIT
In phase three you will use what you’ve gathered in the first two phases to create your plan. You’ve reconnected with your essentials, you’ve reframed the challenge (or challenges) and now you should have a clearer sense of what steps and actions would be most aligned with the direction that you would like to move in. In this phase you both develop and fine tune your targeted goals and/or strategies and begin executing your action plan for long-term, sustainable results. And how do I know that the results will be long-term and sustainable? Because you’ve done the work and your ensuing actions will be aligned with the deepest parts of you.
Power Question: How do I move forward in a way that honors what I now know?
So, try it out. When you begin to use it regularly, it will become a natural part of your processing and will keep you grounded and on track towards your ideal life and career.
Owning Change Quote of the Week: “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” — Jimmy Dean
Monica Moody
Monica Moody
