Many of us fear change. We like to think that we are open to change, but in all honesty, most of us resist change or try to avoid it.
In this post, I provide an overview of a video presentation by Dan Clark where he reveals the truth about change. He reframes change as a proactive process of empowerment, a stretching process that allows us to become more of who we already are.
Dan is CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation, an internationally recognized speaker, entertainer, songwriter, recording artist and New York Times bestselling author.
Dan Clark - Change
Dan’s presentation style is upfront and direct.
Early in Dan’s presentation he explained that most people search for “new” answers when, in reality, they ought to be searching for the “right” answers. He noted that some things are true whether we believe them or not and, in contrast, we must be careful not to base our decisions on misconceptions.
“The misconception of change is that it’s from the outside-in, which creates pressure,” says Dan. “Change from the outside-in is reactive change and it creates a victim mentality.”
On the other hand, change from the inside-out is proactive change and it creates power.
“It gets us to change the way we think of life and see our circumstances with a firm belief that no matter what our past has been, we have a spotless future.”
After telling a story to demonstrate how something that may happen in a single moment in time can change things forever, Dan offered a revealing statement that caught my attention; it truly made me sit up and take notice.
He said, “What we have done in the past does not make us who we are today. What we hope to become in the future makes us who we are today.”
Wow. If you really think about it, that is an incredibly empowering perspective. It works for me!
Dan then focuses in on the key principle of his presentation: “Change from the inside-out is not change at all if we stretch ... and stretching is becoming more of who we already are.” He follows this up with some personal stories and examples to demonstrate the concept.
And his sense of humour comes to the surface a few times in the video. For example, when highlighting the difference between being a “motivational” speaker and an “inspirational” speaker, he explains that the statement “We become what we think about” isn’t complete.
“If that was true,” he says, “I would have become a woman by the time I was 12 years old!
“I don’t want to be a motivational speaker – I want to be an inspirational speaker because they not only get us to stretch, but they give us information, passion, creativity, imagination to keep the stretch alive.”
Dan talks about the passion, creativity and imagination that is vital to music composition, noting that every song ever written uses the exact same 12 notes, but with different timing and spacing between notes. He relates this to the skills and abilities each of us already possess in our respective fields.
“Right now, you have exactly what it takes for you to be successful, to take it to the next level and become more of who you already are. You don’t need to know another thing. What we have to do is use what we already have,” he encourages.
With song writing as the backdrop, Dan then returns to the theme of change and the perspective of stretching. He again highlights the values of passion, creativity and imagination, noting that “today is a brand new day to take those same 12 notes” and create a work of greatness.
Closing his presentation, Dan says, “If we are serious about changing, we’ll start looking at it in the format of stretching; and becoming more of who we already are is what every day needs to be.”
(End of overview)
GT
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