We all love to have tangible & concrete solutions to our challenges. Having worked as an engineer, I understand how comforting it is to have a step-by-step strategy at your disposal. Though there are, of course, great benefits to having a clear process and tools– yet most of your growth comes from inner transformation.
Think back to the last time you made a huge leap in your life or your business. What were the defining elements that guided that leap? Maybe you did have a great strategy in place. But think about what was going on in your mind at that same moment. What were your thoughts, your beliefs, your emotions? Most likely, you were in an aligned and empowered state. This ‘way of being’ influenced: the process your put in place, how you showed up, and how you interacted with the world around you.
On the flip side, think back to a time when you felt stuck and you weren’t moving as fast or efficiently as you wanted to. Did you have a tool or strategy? Maybe. But somehow it wasn’t enough – you still felt down, stuck, and dispirited. Chances are you did not need a different strategy but rather a different mindset or thought process. Some of the keynotes I give explain how to create an inner transformation.
In this article, I will break down the inner transformation into 5 key parts: clarity & commitment, identity & beliefs, focus, action, and leadership.
1. Clarity & Commitment to Your Vision
The very first step of inner transformation is clarity. If you are not clear on what you want to achieve, then you have no clear compass or direction. It’s surprising how often a lack of clarity gets in the way. You might think you know what you want, but you might not have stopped to ask yourself: how will you measure your progress? What benefits will you get from achieving this result?
Define your vision: Take a moment to pause and reflect. Think of one specific area in your life. It might be business, health, or relationships. What do you want to achieve in this area? What does ‘wild success’ look like for you? How will you feel once you reach this goal? The clearer the picture, the more likely you are to get there. If you struggle to define this with clarity, then think about what you don’t want – and flip over to what you would want instead. Be clear on your vision.
Commit to the journey: Clarity is great but if you are unwilling to commit, then it won’t do much. What often happens is that before you have committed, you find excuses. The second you start to think about your dream business, job, or relationship, your mind begins to tell you why it won’t happen. At that point, you have a choice. Either you decide to believe that excuse, and stop any effort towards your dream. Or, you go down the other path. You decide to commit. You can choose between your excuses and your dreams - you can’t have both. Commitment can be done to yourself in writing, or to another person (or group). Whatever form of commitment works well for you – what matters is that it is a point of no return. You feel the motivation, and action you need to move forward.
2. Inner Transformation for Your Identity
Your identity comes from a conglomeration of memories, experiences, judgments, etc. As time has gone by, you have defined what you are capable of and what you are not. You have set boundaries around what you can do, and you have defined clear beliefs in these areas. Inner transformation comes from questioning and shifting this identity.
The power of identity: To shift your identity, start to look at your goal and imagine what type of person you would need to be to reach that goal. Let’s say you want to have a seven-figure business, then start to imagine how a seven-figure business owner would think, feel or act. When you notice that it doesn’t feel like something you can do – start to shift and re-frame your thoughts and questions.
Shifting your beliefs: A belief is only a thought you have repeated so often that it now feels true. The beliefs can be about: yourself, your goal, or the journey towards your goal. To change your beliefs, begin to question them and re-frame them. The magic comes from awareness and changing your perception.
Being aligned: As you work on your identity and your beliefs, start to notice in which areas of your life, you don’t feel aligned. This means looking at your priorities and checking that your actions reflect your priorities. If you say that health is essential for you, yet you never exercise – there is a lack of alignment. Begin to address this lack of alignment.
3. Stay Focused on the Process
Once you have worked on your clarity, and identity, staying focused is a must. We live in a world with so many internal & external distractions, that being In-distractable is a superpower. Remaining focused comes through dealing with your thoughts & emotions, addressing your fears, and removing distractions.
Manage your thoughts & emotions: Focus comes first and foremost from your thoughts. Keep your objective at the forefront of your mind. Learning to deal with your emotions, so that you can embrace your goal with joy and energy. Managing both your thoughts & emotions is fundamental for focus and inner transformation.
Stop self-sabotage: No transformation can take place if you are sabotaging the process. Yet, this happens more often than you would think. If you feel uncertain, or have doubts, this is probably showing up as self-sabotage. Observe your fears and find a way to work with them. Accept your fears, acknowledge them and embrace your path.
Remove distractions: Start to notice what distracts you when you are progressing. Are there thoughts, fears? Are there other projects? Is it the need for more stimulation? Great productivity apps and tools will do very little for your focus if you don’t look at the root of the issue. Identify what creates a distraction for you, and then address this. Inner transformation is a journey. You are either on the default journey or the intentional journey.
4. Inner Transformation & Action
Finally the part of inner transformation that you want: action. All transformation begins within and materialises without. As you have changed your mindset, thought patterns, internal beliefs, fears, identity; the action will come easily. Action & strategy are the easiest part of the journey. Hence, wanting to go to strategy directly. Because it is less challenging than confronting your inner demons.
Work with coaches & mentors: To put in place the strategy that suits you best, working with coaches & mentors is one of the best actions you can take. Not only will it help you to deal with identity & mindset work, but it will be a pillar for the actions and strategies you implement. All the successful business owners work continuously with coaches & mentors.
Layout your strategy: Yes, finally the tangible part! With your coach, and great books, put your plan in place. Break it down into milestones and have an accountability partner (or coach) that checks in with you regularly. As you begin to implement your strategy, start adjusting it – notice what is your Pareto in this process and adapt your strategy to it!
Continuously seek clarity: One of the main habits of high performers according to Brendon Burchard is that they always seek clarity. Yes, I mentioned that it was essential to be clear on your vision – but this is not a one-step process. Continuously looking, redefining, and seeking clarity on your vision, the journey, your strategy is what will distinguish you from the others.
Most people get stuck on auto-pilot and forget that they have the power to redefine their path at any moment. Don’t be like most people, believe in your inner transformation and seek clarity continuously.
5. Leadership & Inner Transformation
Inner transformation impacts leadership on all levels: self-leadership, leading your team, and leading your business. As you change and transform, your business will transform too.
Self-leadership: Through dealing with your inner demons, you will master yourself: your thoughts and your behaviour. Self-leadership is the ability to muster your inner resources (courage, motivation, zeal, resilience, perseverance) to attain a goal that is meaningful to you. Inner transformation and self-leadership go hand in hand: as you change internally, this influences how you lead yourself.
Lead your team: The more you work on yourself, on your patterns of thoughts and behaviour, on your integrity & courage; the more your team will be inspired. Your team will notice how you evolve and will start to think & act differently. You will be a transformational leader and you will impact both the motivation and the performance of your team.
Lead your business: Last but not least, your business. As your business is a mirror of your inner world – your business will also transform. Think about it for a moment. Your business values are probably intrinsically linked to your personal values. Your personality probably directly influences the type of business you run. If you’re highly creative, your business probably is too. So quite naturally, your thoughts, emotions, identity, and beliefs will also show up in your business.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
Last Thoughts
Inner transformation is a journey. Whether you have decided to or not, you are on this journey. Every single day, you are changing. Thoughts are being anchored; emotions are repeating themselves. Fears are showing up and holding you back. You can choose to direct that transformation and change in the direction that you wish.
If you ignore it, the change will be on auto-pilot and maybe you won’t progress the way you wish to. So if you want to take ownership of your life & business, and begin to work on your inner transformation: start to notice how you are showing up each day. Coaching can also help you transform internally. How can you shift your identity towards who you want to become? How can you adapt your beliefs to empower you? What emotions do you want to feel daily?
The inner work is what enables you to progress as faster & with greater ease.
Combine inner transformation & strategy, and you will fly towards your vision!
Connect with the magic & Enjoy the journey,
Katie