Curious about TRANSFORMATION: What Creates It? And Is It Worthwhile in Our Lives and Careers?

Definition of TRANSFORMATION: (1)The act of transforming, or the state of being transformed; change of form or condition. (2) Change of one form of material into another, as in assimilation; metabolism; metamorphosis. (3) A change in disposition, heart, character, or the like; conversion.

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then tr of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer

Even though I used it previously, I chose “TRANSFORMATION” for this week’s theme because, for me, 2011 will be a year of TRANSFORMATION. In less than a month, I will be moving into a different apartment. It is on the lake and closer to the two YMCAs where I teach my 12 fitness classes a week. However, the move is only the start.

I am also updating my marketing direction. This past year I joined a cutting edge marketing group and also an Internet Skills and Mastermind group. The great news is that the leader shares a plethora of information and holds several pure learning webinars a week. He also assigns challenges for us to complete.

Notice that each of the parts of the definition above use the word, “change.” We all know how difficult it is to change. And, yet, we have heard again and again that if we don’t change we will continue to have the same results over and over. If we are happy with our results, we should continue doing what we have always done. However, most of the people I know would be thrilled with a change for the better, but are afraid to try.

Have you experienced or started to work on a transformation? It may consist of different areas of your life: physical, financial, educational, family, and emotional. The great news is that if one works on transforming one of these areas, transformation will occur in other areas, too. I have witnessed this so often at the gym. When a student of mine works on losing weight and achieving a high level of fitness, the benefits color other areas.

What do the experts have to say about transformation:

• “Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.” - Marianne Williamson, American author
• “History is the transformation of tumultuous conquerors into silent footnotes.” - Paul Eldridge, American educator
• “Transformation in the world happens when people are healed and start investing in other people.” - Michael W. Smith, American musician
• “Transformation literally means going beyond your form.” - Wayne Dyer, American psychologist
• “It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory.” - Edgar Degas, French artist
• I especially like American actress, Judith Light’s quotation, “The message of transformation and how we all can live from our heart, not just from our head, was a very important message for me to learn in my own life.”

And a few more quotations to chew upon:

• “I never told a victim story about my imprisonment. Instead, I told a transformation story - about how prison changed my outlook, about how I saw that communication, truth, and trust are at the heart of power.” - Fernando Flores, Chilean politician
• “When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.” - Joseph Campbell, American author
• “Art is magic... But how is it magic? In its metaphysical development? Or does some final transformation culminate in a magic reality? In truth, the latter is impossible without the former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic.” - Hans Hofmann, German artist

Let me hear about your work on transformation and what started it. Change isn’t always easy, but it is exciting!