Waiting for Change – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

What triggers that next big step?

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Should we wait for things to happen, or make change happen? It’s a question I ask myself constantly, especially with decisions that directly affect my life and my family’s. I believe a clear life purpose is a great tool for bringing order and direction, so we know when to trigger change and when there’s no need even to think about waiting.

Why do we spend so much of our time waiting when we could be driving change? Much of the answer lies in whether we truly want the change, and that answer comes when we’re clear on why we want the new course or direction. Inaction feeds on the comfort zone, where very little happens, especially the things in tune with our values.

I don’t see waiting as a sign of impatience, or as something we must flatly refuse to accept. In fact, any result we pursue (especially a well-directed one) naturally involves some waiting, a kind of waiting this fast-changing world is no longer used to. More and more, our impatience for quick results is turning patience into one of the many virtues we should aspire to.

This opens the door to four elements behind every change: the need for change, its direction (where it will take us), prudence and action. I believe our ability to trigger change lies in these four points. First, the inner recognition that a change must, or should, happen. Second, being able to say whether it’s truly in tune with a purpose. Third, the prudence to see clearly and to imagine, or at least sketch out, those visions of the future. And finally, the element (the salt and pepper) that sets everything else in motion: action.

Change on its own has little or perhaps no effect when the actions don’t come from within, whether from a person, a team or an organization. When survival depends on the next step, we become aware of the need to act on decisions that protect us and make us better people, organizations or communities. Waiting for change is a state we can always leave, as long as there’s a trigger to set it off. What’s your trigger?

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

• P.S. This week’s VELA (what I was Watching, Listening to, Reading and Learning):
• What I was Watching: El estrés no enseña el valor de la puntualidad (Stress doesn’t teach the value of punctuality). A great interview, especially for me as a parent, on time management and the patience learning takes. "For a child, a minute can be an hour, and an hour a minute"
  – What I was Listening to: En todo ser humano hay grandeza (There is greatness in every human being). A video I’ve watched again and again. I deeply admire Dr. Mario Alonso Puig. He inspires me, and his talks lead me to answers to questions I’m often searching for
  – What I was Reading: El monje que vendió su Ferrari (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari). A short book that crossed my path this week in the middle of The Art of Impossible, and it captivated me, so I’m still reading it. I’m taking it slowly and really like the fable. Thanks for the recommendation, doña Ceci 🙂
  – What I was Learning: The Science of meditation. Sam Harris exceeds my expectations every day. The Waking Up app is one of my favorites, especially for learning the basics of meditation. This podcast is a bit long, but it’s packed with the best I’ve ever heard on meditation

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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