Transformation! What is it? How do we do it? We’ve been conformers. Do we want it?
I just finished reading Jack Canfield’s book, The Golden Motorcycle Gang. I absolutely loved it – it reminded me much of one of my all-time favorite books from years ago, Robert Pirsig’s, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Jack and Robert’s books are both about extreme dedication to high values and their beliefs about personal transformation. I was especially inspired by Jack’s story of his awareness of existence on the other side. Yes, he is aware of his life before his birth on this planet. This awareness formed his life purpose – that of teaching transformation. I’m not going to tell you more because it might spoil your read, but it’s impressive!
-“Metamorphosis” by Alex Grey
I’m a huge believer in transformation and I’ve always considered myself a change agent. I’ve come to realize that I’ve never been happy with my work if it didn’t seem geared toward life getting better. It was my “itch” as an interior designer – to make people’s personal spaces “better.” When a client wanted my ideas for their spaces before I knew who they were in life and being, I’d scratch my head wondering why they wanted to forget their loves and needs. Why did they want what they thought I wanted, instead of what they themselves wanted? That has been typical of life in the past for all of us. We’re taught to seek out the “right dress,” the “right way of speaking,” and even “the right line of work,” all according to someone else!
Thank heavens we’ve moved toward healing that one. I think we’re doing quite well at thinking more for ourselves and choosing what we want personally. I never understood the “trend” thing in design nor in fashion or anything for that matter. I understood change in popularity, but I always hoped that trends had a personal side.
I heard Seth Godin speak at Beachbody’s Summit in Las Vegas last June. He’s an amazing speaker and presented on today’s picture of business and preferences. He brilliantly framed “where we are now” in the spectrum of “what we want.” He said that creativity is the sacred theme – we want things different, personal, inspiring, powerful, and innovative. We’re looking for the extraordinary and the clever. No more conforming. We want to think for ourselves, heal ourselves and feel good about ourselves. It certainly indicates movement away from authority.
We won’t settle for mediocre. We want “deep.” We want an indicator that we care about life and therefore about each other. At least this is what I hope we want. I hope for it with politics. I hope for it in business. I hope for it in education – in research. I certainly hope for it in relationships and family. I hope that we’re learning how to be transparent, full of integrity, open to possibility and willing to trust. I’m toasting to transformation. 2012 isn’t a finish line, it’s a beginning. It’s a time when we’re going to realize our magnificence, our responsibilities for self and our possibilities for life. Bring on transformation! The Butterflies are coming!
