The 5 Stages of Life Transformation
publication date: Jun 24, 2009
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author/source: Dr. Michelle Casto
By Michelle L. Casto, Ph.D.
 September 11, 2001 was the world’s wake up call. After the chaos and confusion, we awoke to the realization that life is a precious gift and that it is our responsibility as citizens and human beings to lead and live our best life. For most of us that meant looking at our current state of affairs and recognizing all the changes we needed to make. We often know it is important to change our lives, but do not know where to begin. Change can be easy, really. By changing your thoughts, you change your feelings, and thus change your actions. In the 21st century, we have better skills to deal with the darkness, and we are more enlightened and aware than ever before in history. Even still, it often has to get darker before it becomes lighter and brighter. But, in the modern world, we do not need to wait until something happens to cause us to change. In fact, you can choose to live a change-oriented, rich, and fulfilling life right now. To transform your life, you need to raise your awareness, practice pro-activity, and live by your vision, purpose, and values. The good news is that millions of people are consciously working on themselves, actively seeking healing on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Since we are all one, when we heal ourselves we heal others, and ultimately heal our planet. Now is the perfect opportunity for you to step up to the plate and make a major contribution to the world. To begin the process, learn the five steps to life transformation. Someone once said, “There is nothing about a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” This quote illustrates the change process perfectly. The butterfly represents a thing of great beauty. A butterfly completely transforms itself from a comfortable cocoon into a radiant entity with wings. You are like a beautiful butterfly waiting to be re-born and transformed. Stage 1: Cocoon Stage This stage is characterized by feelings of comfort, as you are beginning to awaken to the need to change. You begin to realize you could be so much more and recognize an error in judgment or dysfunctional patterns. Stage 2: Growth Stage This stage is characterized by feelings of discomfort, as you are beginning to stretch yourself, your abilities, your environment. You experience new ways of being and thinking and have the desire to transform yourself. Stage 3: Change Stage This stage is characterized by feelings of panic and fear, as you are beginning to look, feel, and act differently. You have a gut instinct that this change will be good for you, and request that “Spirit” assist you and provide with you with guidance. Stage 4: Flight Stage This stage is characterized by feelings of confidence and courage, as you spread your wings to leave your old home to find a new home. You now recognize yourself as a beautiful creature, have excitement about future possibilities and you just do it. Stage 5: Conscious Stage This stage is characterized by feelings of inner peace and joy, as you remember and realize who you really are. You now understand that you are a co-creator and possess the power to become whatever you want to be and do whatever you want to do. Your Life is Waiting… If you are not careful, you will put off making changes until the very last minute (which is often too late). This is not wise, since by then it becomes a “have to” instead of a “want to.” There are two kinds of events in life: urgent events and important events. If it is urgent, it requires an immediate response, and is time-based. If it is important, it requires that a task be done, and is action-based. If things are urgent, they require immediate attention. If they are important, they need attention, and if neglected, they may become urgent. If something is both urgent and important, you have an opportunity and a crisis. Sometimes you have to make the project both urgent and important in order to become committed to it. With life goals, you must increase the urgency and importance of a task, or it will never get done. For example, imagine that the change you want to make is to be better organized. If you continue to think you can do it “tomorrow”, it will probably not get done. But if you commit to making this a top priority, you will take action immediately. To make needed life changes, move important things (like getting organized or changing jobs) into a high priority or urgent status. At first, this will feel uncomfortable. But know that the discomfort you feel when stressed about something can be instructive. When you are aware of it, you can use the discomfort as a signal that you need to make a change. Ultimately, the goal is to use the unfairness of life and the stressors on the journey as stimuli for growth. All it really takes is a shift in perspective — looking at the world with new eyes — to see the challenge and the opportunity in the crisis. It is also important to trust your gut feelings. A courageous knight does not have time for fact-finding or double-checking; he or she knows that to transform and make righteous decisions, the over-analyzing has to be skipped, and decisions must be made based on instincts. Why wait for tomorrow, next month, or next year to live the kind of life you dream about? This is your life, and you can have it the way you want it! If you are in the wrong relationship, job, or living environment, change it. Stop listening to other people’s advice, start listening to your intuition, and start living the divine life you were born to live. About the Author  Dr. Michelle Casto is known as the Soul Diva Coach, Speaker, and Author. Michelle knows that there is a divine spark within each of us. Her life’s work is to empower herself and others to fully shine their bright light, master their life, and share what she learns along the way. She helps you to see the light, come up with bright ideas for your life, integrate your humanity and divinity, and shine more brightly in all dimensions of your life. The above article is from her forthcoming book about how to make personal transformations and let your soul be your guide on the journey of life. Visit her website at: www.smartlifechanges.com. |