Are you ready to make the next leap?

"Turning the fear of transformation into the transformation of fear"

Sometimes I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I'm either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments in my life, I'm hurtling across space in between trapeze bars. Most of the time, I spend my life hanging on for dear life to my trapeze-bar-of-the-moment. It carries me along at a certain steady rate of swing and I have the feeling that I'm in control of my life. 

I know most of the right questions and even some of the answers. 

But every once in a while as I'm merrily (or even not-so-merrily) swinging along, I look out ahead of me into the distance and what do I see? I see another trapeze bar swinging toward me. It's empty and I know, in that place in me that knows, that this new trapeze bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart of hearts I know that, for me to grow, I must release my grip on this present, well-known bar and move to the new one. 

Each time it happens to me I hope (no, I pray) that I won't have to let go of my old bar completely before I grab the new one. But in my knowing place, I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar and, for some moment in time, I must hurtle across space before I can grab onto the new bar. 

Each time, I am filled with terror. It doesn't matter that in all my previous hurtles across the void of unknowing I have always made it. I am each time afraid that I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless chasm between bars. I do it anyway. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call the faith experience. No guarantees, no net, no insurance policy, but you do it anyway because somehow to keep hanging on to that old bar is no longer on the list of alternatives. So, for an eternity that can last a microsecond or a thousand lifetimes, I soar across the dark void of "the past is gone, the future is not yet here." 

It's called "transition." I have come to believe that this transition is the only place that real change occurs. I mean real change, not the pseudo-change that only lasts until the next time my old buttons get punched. 

I have noticed that, in our culture, this transition zone is looked upon as a "no-thing," a noplace between places. Sure, the old trapeze bar was real, and that new one coming towards me, I hope that's real, too. But the void in between? Is that just a scary, confusing, disorienting nowhere that must be gotten through as fast and as unconsciously as possible? 

NO! What a wasted opportunity that would be. I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing and the bars are illusions we dream up to avoid the void where the real change, the real growth, occurs for us. Whether or not my hunch is true, it remains that the transition zones in our lives are incredibly rich places. They should be honored, even savored. Yes, with all the pain and fear and feelings of being out of control that can (but not necessarily) accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, most growth-filled, passionate, expansive moments in our lives.   

"We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore."(Anonymous)

So, transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to "hang out" in the transition between trapezes. Transforming our need to grab that new bar, any bar, is allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens. It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening in the true sense of the word. Hurtling through the void, we just may learn how to fly. ( ? "Warriors of the Heart" by Danaan Parry 1989)

If you are ready to accept the inevitability of of the further ramping up of the rate of change, how can you best prepare you for what's ahead / just around the corner? One step that you will never regret is if you take the time to learn about your greatest innate talents and invest in experienced and qualified coaching to help you turn those talents into strengths that can serve you for the rest of your life. Whatever professional or more holistic challenges present themselves, your strengths can help you travel with more confidence through any void both now and in the future.

About Jim Brophy (Strengths Focus Limited)

I am an executive and organisational coach focussed on serving the non-technical learning and development needs of ambitious Finance Professionals . Leaders. Aspiring leaders. For their collective teams and individual team members . I was previously a Finance Director for over 30 years working for multi-nationals and SMEs in Europe and South-East Asia.

I lead strengths focussed coaching interventions to help my clients achieve their goals faster. Revealing and using their most natural and innate talents to build great careers, achieve important desired outcomes and realise potential. Breakthroughs. And breakouts.

If you're curious about how I can help you personally or with your team please get in touch via my email ; [email protected] ; phone +44(0)7432770049