What causes BIG change?
I’m writing to you from beautiful Reno, Nevada, where I’m working with my friends at Damon Industries and The Happiest Hour. I also spent four days skiing around Lake Tahoe with my son, Patrick, which was awesome! The views are simply breathtaking, and I thank God every day that I have a healthy body and can enjoy such fun!
I’m excited to be in the final stretch of writing my book, Born—Love—Die. The paperback and e-book will be available on Amazon in mid-July. In working on this book, my next research project has become clear to me. I’m excited to share it with you, and ask for your help.
You already know that Born—Love—Die is a story about the year of ALS, and how Kim and I experienced that sad, but loving journey. Kim taught me so many things during that year, including how to love people more fully, how to love God more deeply, and how to see the joy in each day. She also taught me how to be more present and to be less fearful. Part of the reason that I’m writing this next book, as painful as it may be, is to lock in the lessons that I learned and not let them drift away as time moves on.
So, here’s my question...
Why does it so often take having a “significant emotional event” for someone to make a big change in their life?
My coach, Dr. Tom Hill, taught me back in 2007 that for most adults to make a change, they need to have “K-SEE-A”.
K – Knowledge
SEE – Significant Emotional Event
A – Action
Dr. Hill also taught me that most adults won’t make a change in their lives until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of making a change. Let that settle in for a moment. Have you experienced this?
I know that in my life, it has been the emotional things that have caused me to make the biggest changes. I remember the pain that triggered my move to self-employment, the pain that led to my divorce, the pain that led to my shift to a retainer model in my recruiting business and then to coaching as a career. And most recently, the pain of losing Kim that led to my awareness that life is super short, and each moment should be lived fully and without fear.
Another reason why I’m writing Born—Love—Die is that I hope it may act as a surrogate for a significant emotional event. Perhaps the book can trigger someone into making change in their own life … a change towards living their best life. Maybe you!
Can we make big changes in our lives without the need to go through an emotional event? Please think back over your life. Think about the big changes that you’ve made. Was there an event that triggered each one? Or were you able to make big changes without an emotional event being the trigger? Take a few minutes and write down the changes you’ve made, and what caused you to make the changes.
Once I finish my book, I’ll be researching this new topic. I’m excited about it, and I know that some cool findings will show up.
Cheers!
-Brett