When It's Time to Take a Controlled Skid: Making Brave Changes

Over the weekend I watched my 4-year-old son ride his bike down on a sloping gravel road in front of our house.

He’d gained enough confidence on his bike to build up speed and then slam on the brakes to execute an elegant fishtail swerve.

After every satisfying set of skids, he’d turn back to me to flash a triumphant grin. Then he’d launch into another set.

I watched him do this a number of times until I wondered if he was aware of the dangers of skidding out on gravel. I vividly recalled my father picking tiny rocks from my bloodied knees (as I bawled) after the first time I spectacularly wiped out on my bike on a gravel road.

As a parent, I want to encourage my son to take risks and of course also not severely injure himself. So I let him finish his flow of swerves and then gave him a heads-up about the ways it can go wrong.

Have fun and be careful.

What Does Change Feel Like?

Since so much of my work involves helping others make significant changes in their lives, I often think about what the experience really feels like.

Especially, how going through personal and professional change can be both exciting and deeply unsettling.

It occurred to me that the experience often resembles my son’s fishtail game.

When we decide to make changes in our life and work, we're setting out to try something new, on purpose.

Often, because we really want it. We want to see what will happen, and the possibilities feel energizing.

Risk - An Integral Part of Change

Change also asks us to take risks that sometimes leave us suspended in a place that feels (and often is) out of control. And, it can make us feel all swervy inside, as we jump from one self-doubt to another, as we spin within unknowns.

We don’t know what will happen next.

We’re new to this.

And, we might get some scrapes along the way.

We might also gain that beautiful sense of triumph and bolstered self-confidence.

We will also learn more about ourselves and life.

Change, after all, is all about growth.

That’s why it’s so important, once change builds momentum inside of you, to stick with it. Make space for it and keep checking in about where it’s taking you, what it’s asking you to do next, what you’re learning from it and who you might need to support you with it.

If you’re in the process of making some big changes in your life, or are feeling stuck and don’t know what your next steps are, then I’d love to help you on your journey - you can find out more about my coaching program here: Catalyst Coaching.