What can jet lag teach us about transformation?
“I have to stay up 1 more hour.” I told myself.
At this point, I had been up for almost 24 hours. In those 24 hours, I had been on one hotel airport shuttle, two flights (including a delayed trans-atlantic flight) for a total of 12 hours of flight time, and a car ride. I had watched three movies, read from two different books, ate two (tolerable) airplane meals and one (pretty bad) hotel breakfast, dealt with two security checks, passed through international customs, lost (and then found) my water bottle, and experienced an 8 hour time change. 8 PM felt like 4 AM and then some. I was tired.
Fighting through the jet lag, my goal was to stay up until 9. I almost made it.
Over the next few days, I tried to stick as closely to my regular routine as possible. It was rough, and I needed a couple more naps and a lot more caffeine than I would have liked, but I did it. By the 4th day back, I felt mostly like myself again.
Sometimes, we get to choose when we experience a transformation. Other times, it’s forced upon us, like after my recent trip. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to transform my circadian rhythm to match a Denver schedule.
Transformation is hard, regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes it can feel almost impossible.
So how do we actually go about successful transformation?
When we experience a transformation, we’re changing something from one form to another. This could be something that looks and feels completely different, like transitioning to a completely different career field or family structure, or it could be something less dramatic (but often just as important) like changing the way we show up in our relationships with our staff or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
The goal of transformation, whether it’s by choice or by circumstances, is to be or act different from before. We have to shed old ways and embrace new ones, and it’s easy to give up or give in to the pull of returning to the status quo.
If you’re in a situation where you want or need to transform something in your life, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Be clear on your why
Change is hard, but made even more so if we don’t understand and/or agree with why it’s happening. To fully embrace transformation, you need to be crystal clear on why you’re going through the transformation and the impact it will have. If change is forced upon us, it can be useful to own the outcome we’re looking for, even when we don’t have control over when or how it’s happening.
Are you transforming your nutrition habits because you’re addressing a health concern or because you want to look a certain way or because it will help you fit in with your social group? Are you transforming how you show up in meetings because you received feedback that you needed to or because it aligns with the leader you want to be? Are you looking for a new job because you’re embracing a new career chapter (even if it was triggered by a layoff)?Set up systems and support
Transformation rarely happens solely because we want it to. It takes work and consistency, especially when we’re not motivated or don’t yet see the results we’re looking for. Having systems and support in place from the beginning increases your chances of success.
If your goal is to have a daily meditation practice, you might need to carve out the time in your schedule and create a dedicated space in your home. If you want to be seen as a great speaker, perhaps create a system to get feedback on your practice presentations so you can iterate before you get up on stage, and then collect feedback from the audience so that you can improve with time.Have grace for yourself
There will be bumps in the road, or setbacks that make it easy for us to be hard on ourselves. When those happen, as they inevitably will, we need to have grace for ourselves and keep going.
In my case with jet lag, I had a tougher time than I expected. Even though I created an easier schedule for myself the first few days back, I quickly realized I needed to make a few more changes in my schedule so that I could show up well for myself and others. But making space for a restorative nap by resetting an expectation for a deliverable meant that I was able to honor what I needed.
Transformation is hard, but so often worth the effort. By being crystal clear about why we’re transforming (even if it’s “because we have to”), setting up the systems and support we need to be successful, and having grace for ourselves in the process make all the difference in our success.
How are you supporting your transformation?
As you think about the transformation you’re facing right now, you may realize that you’d be even more successful if you have someone in your corner, someone who can help you see your blindspots, identify new areas to achieve even more success, and support you in your journey.
I’d love to help.
Book your free strategy session and let’s dig in.
How will you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
October 17, 2024
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
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