Embracing a Lifetime of Becoming
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ~ R.W Emerson
We all carry within us a vision of our ideal self. Close your eyes for a moment and let that image form in your mind...
What do you see? Perhaps someone wealthier, healthier, more attractive, more accomplished, or simply, profoundly happy. This vision feels complete, doesn't it? As if reaching this state would mean you've finally arrived.
We've been conditioned to believe that transformation is a destination - a final, triumphant crossing of a finish line after which our struggles cease and our fulfillment becomes permanent. Get the promotion. Buy the house. Find the love. Check the boxes, and happiness follows.
And, sure, why not? More of a good thing, or of a few good things, can greatly enhance our experience of life and perhaps even shift how we show up in it. And to that we say, go for it. We believe that all humans who have the discipline to act consistently in alignment with their goals will achieve what they set out to do.
There’s only one problem…
…The very idea that transformation is a single event, a final destination to be reached. This perspective serves us until it doesn't, until we achieve what we sought only to discover the horizon has shifted once again.
The executive who spent years working toward the corner office finds herself asking, "What now?" The athlete who trained relentlessly for Olympic gold wonders, "Who am I beyond this achievement?" The entrepreneur who built a thriving business feels strangely empty despite the success.
Why? Because transformation has never been about the destination. Transformation occurs while immersed in practice.
Transformation as a Methodology to be Mastered
When we consider what it means to transform, to completely change the character, composition or structure of something or someone, it might seem as though the process of human transformation would be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Catapulting ourselves out of who we know ourselves to be and into something entirely new seems like a once in a lifetime event, never mind something that can happen over and over again throughout the course of our lives.
In contrast to the prevailing "one and done" mentality permeating much of personal development culture, we believe that transformation lies in developing the mindsets, skills and habits that allow us to recreate ourselves whenever new possibilities call us forward.
Beyond Problem-Solving to Possibility-Creating
When we approach transformation as a single event, we often frame it as a solution to a specific problem:
"Once I transform my leadership style, I'll achieve the success I desire."
"After I transform my relationship patterns, I'll finally find fulfillment in my partnerships."
These intentions are valid and indeed valuable. And, notice how they position transformation as a response to something lacking or broken. Sometimes, that’s EXACTLY why we start this transformation process. But might we be curious about what happens if we engage with this practice several times over? What might happen when we shift from:
"I need to transform because something is wrong."
to
"I practice transformation as the full expression of my humanity."
The limitation becomes evident when, having addressed our immediate challenges, we find ourselves without the tools to navigate our next evolution or perhaps without consideration that a ‘next’ evolution might be possible.
Transformation as an ongoing practice shifts our focus from problem-solving to possibility-creating. Rather than transforming to overcome a specific obstacle, we develop the capacity to continuously invent new contexts that reveal possibilities beyond our current imagination.
The blindspots we overcome today reveal new opportunities and options for how we’d like to show up in the world.
Transformation as a Practice
When transformation becomes a practice rather than a project, we begin to experience life differently:
We navigate change with grace. While others resist the inevitable shifts of life, we've developed the muscle to flow with them, even to welcome them as opportunities for acquiring a new skill or stepping into a whole new possibility.
We see possibilities where others see obstacles. Our tendency to look for other perspectives allows us to identify pathways invisible to those with more fixed viewpoints.
We experience freedom from the tyranny of our past. Rather than being defined by our history, we begin to understand the significance of operating without the assumption that our past is what determines who we might become in the future.
We cultivate resilience. The repeated experience of reinvention builds unshakeable confidence in our ability to adapt and thrive in any circumstance because we are awake to our role as the leader of our own lives.
The Philosophy: Mastering the Art of Becoming
At Cerené, we've designed an approach that supports this continuous practice of transformation. It consists of various elements, some of which include:
Creating the Context for Possibility
Transformation begins with our contexts - the environment, mindset and perspective from which we operate. Masters of transformation understand that the right context makes evolution not just possible but inevitable.
Imagine a seed. It contains all the potential to become a magnificent tree, but its potential remains dormant until the seed is planted in fertile soil, with adequate water and sunlight. The seed doesn't need to strive to become a tree; it simply needs the right context to express what's already within it.
Similarly, human transformation isn't about forcing change through willpower alone. It's about creating contexts that naturally evoke our next evolution.
Living this principle might look like:
Surrounding yourself with people who see your potential rather than your limitations
Designing your physical environment to support your aspirations
Engaging in practices that expand your sense of what's possible
Seeking experiences that challenge your existing assumptions
When you create contexts for possibility, transformation unfolds with an ease and naturalness that effortful striving can never achieve.
Community as a Mirror and a Catalyst
We cannot see behind our own blindspots, by definition. The limitations in our perspective remain invisible to us until someone or something reveals them to us. This is why transformation as a solo endeavor is inherently limited.
In community, we gain access to perspectives beyond our own. We see ourselves through others' eyes. We encounter ideas that challenge our assumptions. We receive feedback that illuminates our impact. All of these experiences create openings for transformation that would remain closed if we journeyed alone.
Living this principle might look like:
Participating in communities committed to growth and transformation
Seeking relationships that offer both support and challenge
Inviting and genuinely considering feedback, especially when it's uncomfortable
Engaging with diverse perspectives that expand your worldview
Asking others to share their vision for your life as a seed for germination
When we embrace community as essential to our transformation, we gain access to possibilities that would remain beyond our reach in isolation.
Authoring a Future Beyond the Past
Many of us live in reaction to our past - driven by old patterns, limited by old beliefs, defined by old stories. Transformation as a practice requires developing the capacity to author a future from possibility rather than history.
This doesn't mean denying or ignoring your past. It means relating to it differently - as a happening rather than a truth about who you are and what is possible for your life.
Living this principle might look like:
Practicing curiosity about what's possible beyond your current experience
Distinguishing between facts and the stories you've created about those “facts”
Speaking and acting from your vision of what's possible rather than what's been
Relating to limitations as temporary and specific rather than permanent and pervasive
When we author a future beyond our past, we access creative power that transcends circumstance and history.
Living the Methodology
Embracing transformation as an ongoing practice requires fundamental shifts in how we approach our growth:
From Achievement to Inquiry
Rather than seeking to "complete" a transformation, we remain curious about what might be possible beyond our current perspective. The question "What else is possible?" becomes a guiding principle rather than a temporary consideration.
From Fixing to Creating
Instead of changing in order to solve specific problems, we seek out new contexts and mindsets making different possibilities available. This shift moves us from reactivity to creativity, from responding to inventing.
From Individual to Community
We recognize continuous transformation requires the perspectives of others who can illuminate what remains hidden from our view. Our evolution becomes a collective unfolding where others are invited into the creation of life for, with and alongside us.
An Invitation to Becoming
As you read these words, you stand at a threshold. On one side is familiar - goal-oriented, problem-focused, destination-driven. On the other is the notion of life as though it exists only as a result of our present way of being - continuous, possibility-focused, journey-oriented.
We invite you to step across this threshold. To join a community of fellow travelers who are mastering the art of becoming. To engage with experiences not as endpoints but as gateways to an ongoing practice of transformation.
What would become possible in your life if transformation was a constant practice, and therefore, opportunity? What contributions might you make? What joy might you experience? What impact might you have?
The journey awaits. The practice begins now.
Here’s to you and living an extraordinary life you love!
