BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Follow These 10 Steps To Achieve Transformational Change

This article is more than 9 years old.

I know entrepreneur and transformational change expert Wendy Darling personally, through the work that both of us have done as faculty for CEO Space. I introduced Wendy (who I promptly renamed “Darling Wendy” shortly after our first meeting) to readers of this column at the start of this year. Since then, she’s been busy preparing for the launch of her indepth ebook The Miracle That Is Your Life, which appeared earlier this week on Amazon and immediately hit the #1 rank in its space.

According to Darling, who specializes in helping executives and entrepreneurs to achieve life changing transformations, miraculous outcomes are within the reach of anyone. Whether it be a business achievement, a happy marriage, or even a health or personal fitness goal or a complete lifestyle change, the outcome is possible through the following steps, which Darling also reinforces with exercises in her book. So here goes:

  1. Magic Wand Time. If you were to achieve the business or personal goals of your dreams, what would that outcome look like? Be very specific as you imagine exactly what your outcome would look like in terms of work, health, family, love life, finances, and also in spirituality and fun.
  2. Entry Points. These are the means of moving away from the “find it, fix it” modes of solving problems and moving towards the first steps that would advance you towards a new goal. For example, saying “I’ll get fit when my business is thriving and profitable” is a “find it and fix it” approach. But what about finding a way to begin steps in the right direction towards greater health and fitness right away, beginning today?

  3. Where’s the Gap ? What’s out of alignment that’s standing between you and your goal? How could you reconcile this chasm? And most importantly, according to Darling, learn to make friends with the gap. Instead of fearing or resenting the space between you and your desired achievement, learn to “lean in” to that empty space and take steps, knowing that you will require time and help and even without the exact knowledge of how you’re going to get to the goal. Now it becomes achievable.
  4. The Driving Force of Your Values. What are the values that define you most heavily when you run into a stumbling point or a roadblock? Which ones represent your finest and highest priorities and goals? It is important to use these values as a roadmap for your desired destination, the author maintains.
  5. The Power Of Your Vision. The expression “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it” holds strong weight, Darling says. It’s vital to understand exactly what your outcome will look like. The Vision Board is a useful exercise for this.
  6. The Magic Of Your Mind. Our minds process some 60,000 thoughts every day. Through exercise we can train our minds to put a greater focus on eliminating the negative thoughts that sap our feelings and energy and channel our thoughts towards positive and empowering new directions instead.
  7. Put Your Focus on MEE (Mind, Emotions and Energy). Research shows that the most effective CEOs and entrepreneurs are skilled at self-reflection. They have an accurate understanding of their strengths and their challenges as they approach life-changing goals. Now is the time for serious self-reflection, even with the help of others, if needed, to determine the best ways to put the proper focus on your own outcomes first, which will put you in a better position to provide the right help and impact for others.
  8. Are you Making Magic or Mischief? At most all times you are doing one or the other. There are many sources of mischief—Darling addresses “shiny objects,” blind spots, ADD, perfectionism, and too many details as just a few.
  9. Speedbumps, Detours and Roadblocks. Many times on the path to dramatic achievements we feel stopped or entirely stuck. These are chances to cast our occurrences into a broader light for further reflection on what these experiences are meant to teach us, and how we can use these obstacles to help us instead of slowing down or preventing our ability to achieve remarkable goals.
  10. Put Your Miracle Life into Practice and Find Your H.O.M.E. (Heaven on Earth, with ME in the middle). As we put the steps of a miraculous life into practice, we come closer to discovering our own continuous Heaven On Earth (with “Me” in the middle, to create the acronym Darling likes to employ). In short, a Miraculous Life is one that carries joy in all of its stages—an especially worthwhile approach for entrepreneurs, who tend to live a life of perpetual crisis and delayed happiness as they stretch for the next product release, the next round of funding or the next exit to occur. Instead, we should be building a process and a path to our goals that allows us to also enjoy the steps we take on the journey, with every day.

There is more in Darling’s book – but taken in summary the steps she espouses can do much to put every entrepreneur on a path to greater fulfillment and happiness as well as business and financial success.

Wendy Darling’s book is currently available in ebook form only, but perhaps available directly from the author in other formats as well (and is available free of charge for the next several days). It is an enjoyable read that will become personal to every entrepreneur and goal-oriented individual as you walk through the steps. I believe you’ll enjoy it very much, as I did. To reach the author directly, you can send email to Wendy@WendyDarling.com or visit her website, www.wendydarling.com.