Chapter 87.
Don’t Change Yourself

It takes a tremendous act of courage to admit to yourself that you are not defective in any way whatsoever.

—Cheri Huber, Author/Zen Philosopher

You don’t need to change!

A lot of people who hear our talks or read our books contact us for coaching, saying, “I really need to make a change. I need to totally change my life. I have been an unconscious, bossy, paranoid manager and I’m ready to learn to be a leader.”

We tell them what we tell everyone: You don’t need to totally “change.”

All you need is a gentle shift.

To get your sports car to send itself into a smoother, faster gear, do you need to take out the gearbox and put in a new one? Or do you simply need to shift gears? When you do shift gears, is it hard to do? Hard, like changing a tire? Or do you just slide into it?

For your mind to take you to the next level of leadership performance, all you need to do is shift gears. You don’t need to replace your gearbox.

Just shift. And then zoom. Zoom. Just like that.

Do you need to change your attitude? How? Why? What is an attitude anyway? How do you change it?

Attitude is a word that old people use to intimidate young people. It’s the ultimate shaming device: “You better change your attitude, Son!”

“How, Dad?”

“Don’t mess with me, Son.”

“What is attitude, Dad? How do I access it? How do I even identify it, much less change it?”

“It’s poor, I can tell you that.”

If you were ever part of such a conversation, you got off on the wrong track in this whole concept of change. Reinventing yourself happens. But it happens as a result of a series of gentle shifts. It’s a path, not a revolution. It becomes a way of life.

Just begin.