The sustainable change model: The Circle of Change
Don’t worry. This blog is a starting point for your lasting change.
To create lasting change, it’s of the utmost importance to consciously go through your development process. In every coaching process, I deliberately use the Circle of Change. This change system is an essential part of the innovative management philosophy Human Being Management (HBM).
The development process of HBM is shaped by the following four steps:
- Self-reflection
- Creating awareness
- More room for decision-making
- Take responsibility
Going through the Circle of Change enables you to become more conscious of your deeper incentives and taking responsibility for them. Effectively repeating the Circle of Change creates a continuous cycle of positive development.
Let’s take a better look at the steps.
Step 1: Self-reflection
What exactly is this?
There’s a difference between reflection and self-reflection. Reflection is all about the self in relation to the external, while self-reflection is all about the self in relation to the internal. self-reflection leads to self-knowledge. This takes courage and discipline.
What does this bring you?
- It’s a starting point for your development
- It gives you insights to break free from your limiting beliefs
- It brings to light that your truth is merely a perception of the truth, molded by the events in your life
- It pinpoints the differences between your known conscious self and your unknown unconscious self
How do you take on the task?
- Write down your thoughts (in a logbook)
- Roster in reflection time
- Ask yourself open questions
- Use feedback to reflect from that point of view
- Also reflect on your successes
- Take the unique ACT-measurement (measurement of your unconsciousness) and discuss the outcome with a certified coach
Questions to ask yourself:
What do you want to reflect on?
What do you want to research within yourself?
What bothers you?
What do you want to leave behind?
What are your irritations with other people and what does that say about you?
What are you ashamed off?
‘Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes’ – Carl Jung
Step 2: creating awareness
After self-reflection comes creating awareness
What exactly is this?
It’s noticing something within yourself that you haven’t noticed before. Something from your unconsciousness that is brought to light through self-reflection and added to your consciousness. It takes self-curiosity and takes place outside of your comfort zone.
The process
Creating awareness in context of HBM is not a simple process. You won’t achieve it on a cognitive level. You develop it by reflecting on your adjusted behavior (slips of the tongue, coming across differently than intended, forgetfulness, wrong handling), unconscious shadow sides (buried emotions and experiences) and projecting onto your surroundings (things, people, the state, etc.)
A coach can help you with this. Undergoing and discussing the ACT-measurement also offers an effective way to reflect on your unconscious parts.
What does this bring you?
- Self-knowledge and a sense of feeling more whole
- Inner peace, authenticity and full autonomy in your handling
- Freedom to look at yourself, take responsibility and to not put blame on others
Step 3: More room for decision-making
Without room for decision making, we’re bound to walk the beaten path repeatedly, not being aware of the other options.
Through self-reflection and by enlarging our awareness, we create a clearer view on our limiting beliefs, patterns and scripted lives in the field of work, judgement, decision making and beliefs.
This adds new options to our roadmap, new views for more objective decision making, taken from different strategic options.
What does this bring you?
By creating an enlarged space for decision making:
- You can look at situations more objectively, convince, manage, lead and listen
- You have a better view of your own driving patterns
- You are aware of multiple ways to fill in the task and role in your organization and to reach your life goals
Step 4: taking responsibility
In other words, time for action!
Taking responsibility means taking on and executing everything that is thrown at you in this imperfect world. It’s accepting the here and now as it is and dealing with it without excuses and extenuating circumstances. This is a complex process of trial and error, being rejected and trying again.
What does this bring you?
Someone who has discovered that they and no one else is capable of taking their internal process into own hands, uses their energy more effectively – leading to experiencing more peace, happiness and success.
You see, the larger part of your energy normally goes to being unhappy, feeling irritation, a nonstop train of thought or anger – all because responsibility isn’t taken consciously.
Continuous process
After taking responsibility for your actions, you can self-reflect again, and the Circle of Life starts from the beginning.
What do you want to take responsibility for?
Your personal development
Kickstarting your personal development isn’t easy. It takes courage to confront yourself and truly create lasting change. I’d love to guide you through this process.
Don’t hesitate to contact me, so we can discuss your needs.
+31646945880
wouter@powerfulpeople.coach
