When is the right time for change?

It was an ordinary Wednesday in the fourth quarter of 2019, in a middle large global company in its head office in Stockholm. A one to one meeting with my manager, same as we had every week.

In my case, the timing of the first step of change was not really planned. Preparations for the possibility to take the step were in place for quite some time. Thoughts and dreams had been buried for a long period of time (16 years more precisely). But then came the moment, on that Wednesday, in the meeting room. I can honestly say that I was almost as surprised as my manager was. It was a bit as if I could not keep the words inside anymore. I had this overwhelming feeling of “it is now or never”. And surely, I would have stayed for another 7 years or more if I had not gotten those definite words – “I quit” - out of me.

There was no grand plan in place in terms of next steps, no new exciting job waiting for me. I was happy with the company, the wonderful team I was managing, with my manager, basically everything. I simply knew that I was not where I was supposed to be. Call it inner compass or whatever – but I knew the moment the words came out of me, that it was exactly what I needed to do.

is there a right time for change?

In terms of what is the right or wrong time, I do not believe it exists. I have two small kids and am in the middle of what has so far been the most intense period of my life. Practical timing? Probably not at all. The wrong timing? Not at all.

However, to be conscious about what you want and why, and then to prepare for it, is crucial. Let’s face it, life contains a practical equation where many of us have bills to pay and perhaps even other mouths more than our own to feed, we need to be aware of the choices we make. With that said, nothing is impossible, and I do encourage and truly believe in change that is in line with our inner compass. Sometimes and for some people it just requires some more preparation.

For me, I knew I needed it and that there was no other option if I were to live in line with my inner compass. And, I am still on the journey of figuring out what the destination is.

What advice can I give to you?

As I most probably do not know you, it will be a hard one for me to answer. Actually, even if I did know you, I would still not be able to tell you what is best for you. We all have unique lives with different forms of complexity and needs. As a result, we have quite different paths of change. What I can say, is that it all lies in the questions asked. If we ask ourselves every day what our favorite color is, we will most probably get the same answer time and time again. In order for us to truly get to know ourselves from new angles, what we truly desire, and how to get there, we need to start asking ourselves new questions. From that point on, consciousness, and awareness of the “I” will start developing.

At a later point I will go through more hands-on exercises, but for now, let’s start with some first questions for you to play around with.

-         Do you know what sort of change you want to make?

-         Do you know why you want to make that change?

-         What would the “perfect” preparations look like for you, to make the change so it fits your needs?

Change can feel quite scary and overwhelming for many of us. I want to end this post by emphasizing that change is something wonderful (and the most constant thing of all?). It is to be considered with curiosity, playfulness and a solid level of consciousness and preparation. For every conscious insight awaits a conscious step forward to the reality you want to live.