Change and progress
by Miki SaxonI write a lot about change—changing what you do, how you do it, and, most often, how you think about it, which, in turn, leads to changes in your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)™.
Having been involved my entire career, one way or another, with people who are changing I’ve two theories that I’d like to share.
We don’t always recognize our own change: Think of change as an unending scale starting at zero. Let’s say you consider yourself a 12 in X and want to change enough to self-rank at 17. In all probability, you’re starting point is closer to 15 and your goal of 17 will actually be closer to 20 or 21. In other words, your conscious perception of where you are lags the actuality.
This is neither good nor bad, it’s just the way our minds work. However, knowing that can help us avoid beating ourselves up for not changing faster.
“Progress” is a subjective concept: Change typically leads to some kind of growth; that, in turn, moves you to a different space, which you term progress, expecting others to see it the same way—and therein lies the problem. Progress, by popular usage, is considered positive. We err by assuming that “they” will see our change-induced progress in that light.
For a simple, widly seen example, think about the growth/open space debates.
The growth crowd sees building malls, homes, etc., as important and cite many lucid arguments in it’s favor.
The open space people think that more land should be set aside for parks, wilderness, recreation, etc., and it, too, has excellent argumenst in its favor.
Both factions consider their view “positive” and both use the term “progress” to describe it.
We humans are subjective creatures, living life within the confines of our own heads. We need to stay aware of that and constantly seek input so we can see ourselves more objectively. Objective viewing doesn’t mean we’ll change, it just moves us a bit closer to being able to see ouselves as others see us.
