What books, coaches, and TED Talks can’t give you

A dinosaur sponge. A towel with a fun image on it. Watching as the tiny capsule of unknown interacted with the water to make something bigger and unexpected lit me up.

This simple process of change brought wonder to my eyes.

But what happens when you realize something needs to change for you?

Something in your business or career… your health… your mindset… your feelings or behaviors… or your relationships…

Do you watch with eyes of wonder as the possibility creates itself in front of you?

More often than not, people either get frustrated, looking to the problem…

Or, they jump so quickly into an attempt to find a solution that the full spectrum of possibility never has the opportunity to present itself – let alone the space or consciousness to become reality.

The options presented to us to create change are, more often than not, lacking in dimensionality.

Part of what made the process of the capsule becoming a dinosaur so exciting for my child self was the multidimensionality of state change – from one form to another.

Our culture tends to miss the mark on this as an option for change.

We’re offered books, TED talks, and conversations with a friend, coach, or therapist…

Supplements, apps, and a shiny new modality…

All of these take on two, at best three-dimensional forms of change.

Even if the drive for change comes from meditation or a spiritual experience, more often than not, it happens in the form of a decision leading to an action.

From decision straight into action, the proverbial dinosaur in the capsule does not have time or space to transform.

Our mindset may change.

We may be able to force ourselves into a new behavior.

But it’s like that item of clothing that stays in the back of your closet because, no matter how good you think it’s going to look from the hanger, and no matter how many times you try it on, it still doesn’t quite fit right or feel like you.

For change to fit and feel like you and to remain with you consistently — like my friend the dinosaur — it has to undergo a process of state change.

Like the outfit that doesn’t quite fit, we can force the conditions into the appearance of change.

You can put a belt on the outfit or dress it up with some jewelry or cufflinks. But what doesn’t feel right will feel the same no matter what you dress it up with.

Similarly, you can hire a new team member to replace the one who isn’t performing. Or you can get a new job to fix the issue of company culture.

But if the feeling of people never performing up to your standards is within you, no matter how many team members you bring on, the feeling will persist.

Or if the friction in the company culture stems from your trauma, belief systems, or conditioning, the feeling of never quite fitting in will persist.

So if information, talking things through, or writing in your journal doesn’t create the conditions necessary for lasting, embodied change, then what does?

It all comes down to creating the conditions for change throughout the dimensions of who we are.

The capsule needed the water, a healthy temperature, and enough space to have the room to expand out in order to become a dinosaur.

Your mind, body, energy field, and consciousness need healthy conditions for change.