“The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Have you ever been faced with a situation where deep down, you have an inner knowingness that this is important?
Your body is an effective feedback tool that lets you know when something requires attention in your life. A slight increase in heart rate, a hard time sleeping, tightness in your chest, trouble breathing, or perhaps a visual replay of a past memory or experience.
Sometimes it can be a simple jolt of excitement, a lull in your energy or a moment in time that can feel like you’re stuck and making little known progress towards your goals. It can also be an outside force that has changed the way in which you typically operate; the introduction of a new competitor into your industry, the advancements of technology, a new manager, the loss of a loved one, the list goes on.
These internal and external moments that consistently surface can often become our greatest source of improving our lives and helping us achieve success and fulfillment.
These are potential inflection points or turning points in your life. And they can become remarkable opportunities for growth. So, it’s important that you have the knowledge to identify and capitalize on these moments. They will present themselves throughout your life, career, or business that offer the chance to either continue with the same beliefs, behaviors and habits that you are accustomed to, or to make a decision to enhance, alter, and engage in new strategies that can help you achieve even greater success, performance, and fulfillment.
The first step is to acknowledge that you are not at your best and recognize that you are being given a potential opportunity. There are two specific types of inflection points.
1. The first type is called an “Objective Inflection Point.” These are changes to your environment. These are the easiest of the two to spot because they are a matter of fact. They can be life-altering events that occur throughout time.
Some examples of major milestones are:
- Getting married
- Moving
- Changing jobs
- Having children
- Getting divorced
- Losing a parent or loved one
- Losing your job
- Becoming ill
Other examples of these possible milestones might be earning a promotion, getting passed up for a promotion, getting assigned to a new boss, losing a big client, implementing a new software solution into the business, or finding out that there is a significant headwind within your business or industry.
2. The second form is called an “Emotional Inflection Point.” These are internal responses such as enthusiasm, anticipation, nervousness, and discomfort. These can be a great source of learning and if overlooked, you can be either be missing a huge opportunity or lead yourself towards self-destructive behavior or unwanted “head trash.”
The missed opportunity might be landing your dream job, starting a successful business venture, or simply finding a new and amazing hobby that creates fulfillment in your life.
On the other hand, if unaddressed, you might find yourself struggling to make it through the day, finding it harder to wake up with energy, or simply finding yourself constantly irritated at the smallest of things.
When this happens, there is often a “story” you are telling yourself.
Sometimes these can be clear statements or fears that surface, and other times they can be more subtle.
Some clear examples could be:
- You hate your job, boss, or company
- Telling yourself that you’ll never be good at something
- Telling yourself that this always happens to you
- Consistently telling yourself that if you just get caught up, it will get better
- Thinking you’ve invested so much time into this, so it’s just easier to deal with it
Other, more subtle signals could be:
- Thinking you’ll look stupid if you try something that doesn’t work out
- There’s a slight change in your voice when being asked about your job satisfaction
- Thinking that “so and so” tried this and it didn’t work out, so there’s no way it would work for you
In both situations, there is a potential opportunity to challenge your existing beliefs, behaviors, and habits to ensure you are moving closer toward your purpose and goals.
They can also be linked or connected to each other as well. Take for example, someone who just lost their job and is finding themselves constantly irritated at their spouse spending money.
This can result in both an “Objective” and “Emotional” Inflection Point, so it’s important to pay attention to both the facts and the feelings you experience during these moments of lull in your journey.
It is only when you can understand both your head and your heart that you can truly capitalize on these opportunities.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung
So, let’s talk about how to do this. Below is a simple framework that you can follow to better understand the potential benefits of altering or changing your existing beliefs, behaviors and habits.
You can do this by answering 3 simple questions:
- Will doing nothing negatively affect your health or an important relationship in your life?
- Does changing have the potential to significantly improve your skillsets or fulfillment in life?
- If you look back 50 years from now, will you regret not doing something about this?
I’d argue that if you answered “yes” to any one of these questions, then you must take action because the desired benefits far outweigh the impacts of the status quo.
Once you’ve decided to act, then it’s important to dedicate time to the following:
- Visualize success and set clear, specific goals (make sure to breakdown bigger goals into smaller steps to reduce the potential feeling of being overwhelmed or discouraged).
Visualizing your ideal dream state can be a valuable tool to unlock your true potential. To see and feel exactly what it means to accomplish your personal or professional goals. It brings life to what you desire and acts as a guiding light as you uncover your authentic purpose.
- Create a plan by outlining specific steps you will need to achieve to accomplish your goals (be sure to include deadlines to hold yourself accountable). This outline should include any potential resources you might require to be successful. This could be taking an educational course or connecting with a executive coach or mentor who can help guide you through this process.
You’ll also want to include a calendar for when, where and how long you will dedicate each day or week to working on your plan.
This step takes your dream towards reality and brings action to your life.
“It is never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Elliott
A good suggestion here is to create a list of all the steps you should consider taking, then spend time identifying your top 3 and only focusing on these until completion. Then repeat the process.
- Follow-up often to track your progress and celebrate your accomplishments. You should also be prepared to make any necessary adjustments in the event something isn’t working, or your goals have changed over time (there will be countless learning opportunities with each setback).
Celebrating incremental success can be a powerful way to build momentum and sustain enthusiasm in making your dream a reality.
Just know that you will hit roadblocks throughout your follow-up, which is why it’s important to frame these as learning opportunities that can improve your knowledge and skillsets.
It might also be helpful to revert to your visualization during these times to ensure that you maintain a positive attitude.
Remember, consistency is key to growth. That’s why enlisting the help of a trusted professional coach or mentor can be a valuable investment for you to develop your action plans, create accountability and support you throughout your life’s journey.
By identifying and capitalizing on critical inflection points throughout your life, you will be significantly increasing your chances of finding peak performance and fulfillment.
“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
