Reading – The Courage To Change

I think this quote really hit home for me as I think about my healing, and others. When we’ve lived for so long as one thing, even if it’s not healthy, changing requires us to see ourselves in a new way. It requires tearing down the current vision of ourselves and rebuilding it. In the middle of that process, this quote is wholly accurate.

“My clients in the above workshop were confronted with an existential crisis. They didn’t know who they were anymore. They could draft business plans, complete financial models, write inspirational speeches—but when they looked in the mirror, they didn’t know what they saw.
This disorientation led to weeks and months of stopping and starting, coming and going, and launching and pulling back. To outside observers, the situation seemed schizophrenic. Criticism was constant.
Yet, my brave clients were on the front lines of an enormous struggle. They were redefining who they were as people. Making the business changes was the easy part. Knowing who they were was hard.”

We would do well to remember this about anyone trying to heal, or overcome depression, or any other trauma. They are in the midst of trying to redefine themselves, which requires a time of not knowing who they are. Not knowing who you are can look quite messy from the outside, but it’s an important part of getting to the next step, knowing who you are now, and using that understanding to move past the trauma.

The Courage To Change –