Evolve & Change or go Extinct

Ever get a sense of belonging to a higher purpose but can't seem to find it? Or ever feel like you're held back from finding your true calling? Maybe even prevented from finding who you really are? These are all phrases and questions thrown around constantly. The problem is that not many people can point you in the right direction to find these answers. That’s part of the answer- No one can. It has to come within you. You have to create a higher demand for yourself, hold yourself to a higher standard and work every day to find the answers.

Everyone has a working understanding of the slow process of evolution. Environmental pressure creates a greater demand on a species and it evolves to fit the need. The downsides of evolution is that it takes too long and never benefits the generation that needs it and by the time its complete, it's such a commonality it goes unnoticed.   We've all experienced this process in ourselves, relationships and even business, and this is called change.
 
"You're going to Evolve anyway, why not Change along the way"
                                                                              Vince Damiano
 
The great thing about change is that it can happen in an instant, and that instant happens the moment you decide to change. How do you know you need to change?

• Life feels stagnant
• You're no longer challenged
• You feel tired, lazy and depressed.
• You no longer enjoy things you once did
• You lash out more easily
• you are less tolerant of outside influences

What do we need to do to start the process of change?  First go on a self-discovery mission. I personally like to do this while spending the weekend out in the woods, but this does not have to be a long fully emerged multi-day retreat, you can do it in an afternoon. As long as you have no distractions and interruptions you can get it done.

Here are some questions you should be asking yourself during a self discovery (this works personally or with a business).

• What am I doing to better myself?
• Am I in a better place today than yesterday?
• Do I enjoy my Life
• Do I cherish the people that surround me?
• Am I judging less and accepting more?
• Do I feel personally connected?
• What do I love about my life now?
• What activities in my life no longer serve me?
• What can I change right now that will put my life in a better and more positive direction?

Now, what do we do with the answers to these questions? First, search for answers in your everyday life. Go outside your comfort zone to look for meanings that you normally wouldn’t find being who you were yesterday.

If you are having a hard time, seek out a mentor to guide you. Mentors are great to point out improvements you can make to push past shortcomings. You can also involve a mastermind group (works really well in business). One person can come up with good ideas but a bunch of minds together works best.

After you have some answers, (this is not an exclusive list of questions and a mentor can help you with more that are related to you) make a life-map on how to get yourself to the person you will become. Start your map with who you are and make a point on the map of who you want to be. Be sure you don’t make an "end" of your map because you don’t want to limit future growth. Once you have a clear picture of where you're going, fill in the middle. Use your self-discovery questions as landmarks on your map.  Make benchmarks and timeline of where your progress will take you, even roadblocks and obstacles you will have to avoid along the way. Knowing the challenges along the way to you making change will help you come up with a plan on how to overcome these before it happens. Having a plan ready to go allows you to attack these without having to react unpredictably.

Now that your life-map is complete you can begin the process of change. Re-visit your self-discovery questions often and make sure you have a better answer that the last time you visited them. Having discipline and an unwavering desire to make true lasting change during your life's evolution will ensure you become the person you truly want to be.