Turnaround

April 22, 2008 by  

I talk to a lot of people who, because of the economy and business climate, are unable to resist the backward pull of old habits and beliefs in attempt to re-gain a safety and security footing that they feel that they once had, but gave up in a quest for a better direction that they now believe is out of their reach. I understand their concerns and also see the contradiction in their choices. So I try to offer an approach that at the minimum helps make these decisions less painful.

The RedShift approach is:

  • to assimilate and synthesize what I believe are the best teachings with my own experience and learning.
  • to creatively communicate those in a way that involves “right-brain” learning, including popular culture metaphors, graphics, mindmaps, music etc.
  • to make them more real by placing them in the context of practical business and life direction problem solving and decision making.
  • to combine them with easy to understand techniques and exercises to help clients quickly begin shifting in the direction they want and away from the direction they don’t want.

A simple and effective technique, or exercise, is the turnaround, thinking about the problem from the opposite side of the coin so to speak. The examples that follow are specific to the kinds of challenges solo professionals and career transitioners are frequently experiencing in a weak economy with its accompanying ubiquitous reporting about lack of business opportunity and cutthroat competition.

But the fundamental principal of the turnaround exercise works the same for any problem in any area of life – health, wealth, love or life direction (the RedShift focus). The turnaround exercise helps clients consciously respond to change, specifically by answering the question: When it seems like things are falling apart, how can we suffer less, avoid habitual traps that convince us to go the wrong way, and stay aligned with our truth and desire for something better?

In the following mindmap examples, I thought about what most solo professionals and independent service practitioners want more of:

  • Money
  • Clients
  • Business Success

One response to worrying about what is not showing up, is to put oneself in the persona called “I’m the one who believes in lack”. The turnaround response is to put oneself in the persona called “I’m the one who lacks belief”.

Each persona has his or her own set of assumptions, feelings and proof(s), but the first is infinitely harder than the turnaround because it requires changing and controlling what is “out there” and responses are often irrationally driven by painful feelings and the need to avoid them. (click graphic for enlargement) belief_lack_small.PNG

The turnaround persona requires only a shifting of beliefs, which we are free to choose to do in any moment, and does not attempt to control through will, that which is not and never has been in our control. Clearly the turnaround is an easier response and I recommend trying on each with respect to what you want, and simply noting how you feel. (click graphic for enlargement) lack_belief_small.PNG

The one caveat is that you don’t do this exercise with an agenda “to get”. It doesn’t work that way. Strategy is effective when working with the content of our lives and our clients’ businesses. But when working with our consciousness and self-awareness, engaging the will through goals, agendas or strategies becomes another means to go the “wrong way”. To quote Emerson, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” All we need to do is be what we want and get out of the way.

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Filed under: alignment, Belief, career, Consciousness, going solo, intention, shift
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