With January wrapped up, did you have a chance to create your annual goals? 

If so, what method did you use?

(Still looking to start? Read our previous blog!)

One of the powerful things about creating goals and setting intentions is that you are in control of the changes you want to make. Goals give us direction, clarity, and a sense of purpose.

Change almost always happens, even when we have the best intentions of sticking to a plan.

You may have heard of these quotes before … “the only constant is change,” or “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Sayings like these can make it feel as though change is something that simply happens to us, outside of our control.

But not everything changes.

Some things remain constant:

• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
• We are mortal…everything has a beginning and end.
• The present moment is always now. You never arrive anywhere else.

Recently, Christa Williams, Executive Director of Sophia Partners, attended a conference where a keynote speaker shared a simple but powerful reminder: “we resist change that is interfering with our goals–it doesn’t have to, we can take a detour.”

That idea invites a shift from seeing change as an obstacle to seeing it as information, feedback, or even an opportunity to realign with your goals.

So, as you think about your goals for the year, ask yourself: How do you feel about change? 

Reality of Sudden Change

Research shows that people don’t mind change. However, what they tend to struggle with are sudden, unexpected changes.

Some sudden changes can be positive, like winning the lottery or a snow day off of school or work.

More often, though, the sudden changes we experience are difficult: a car accident, an unplanned job change, or the loss of a loved one.

For many people, change causes anxiety and stress because it creates a sense of lost control. 

While we may not be able to control sudden changes, we can control how we respond to them and the mindset we choose to adopt.

For more than 20 years, Gallup’s research (Gallup Follower Research Report) has shown that what people expect from their leaders tends to be consistent amid change. Their study uncovered these four needs of followers:

Hope stands out as the dominant need across followers, because without it, people can disengage, lose confidence, and become less resilient.

This is where leadership matters most!

Leaders have the opportunity to take an active role in cultivating hope by choosing to initiate change rather than merely react to it—providing clarity, direction, and reassurance along the way.

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, First lady of the United States

Carrots, Eggs, & Coffee Beans

Have you ever heard of the story called, “Are You A Carrot, Egg, or Coffee Bean?” It’s a story about perspective, adversity, and how you view change. 

The story goes like this:

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how hard things were for her. She was tired of fighting and struggling, and every time it seemed that one problem was resolved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. 

• In one, she placed carrots;
• Another, eggs;
• Lastly, ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil without saying a word. About twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners.  She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter asked, “What’s the point?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity but each reacted differently. 

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being boiled, it softened and became weak.  

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.  

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, the beans changed.

“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?”

Which one are you?

• Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, you wilt, become soft, and lose your strength?
• Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? 
• Are you like the coffee bean, where the bean actually changes the hot water-the very circumstance that brings the pain?

If you are like the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

Transformative Change

What does the word transformative mean to you? 

At Sophia Partners, we define it as causing a major change to something or someone, especially in a way that makes it or them better.

Our mission to nurture transformative leadership in all people to create caring communities for future generations hasn’t changed.

Transformative leadership creates positive change in the spaces we share and the places we call home!

One of the ways Sophia Partners makes positive, transformative change is by working with individuals, teams, and groups to help them navigate change through leadership coaching or facilitated conversations.

If you are interested in learning more about the work that we do in this area, contact us at hello@sophiapartners.org or visit our website at sophiapartners.org.

For bonus content on this blog topic, listen to this 14-minute radio interview with Sophia Partners Executive Director and KFIZ host, Shawn Kiser! 

Resources:

• Managing Transitions by William Bridges PhD and Susan Bridges
• It’s Not About the Coffee by Howard Behar
• Gallup Follower Research Report