Be the Change

"Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice."  
​~Heather Ash Amara

This week’s quote is a helpful reminder of what transformation is all about. The process of transformation is often misunderstood by those on the spiritual path. We see the way that caterpillars transform themselves into butterflies and we falsely believe that one day, we will undergo a similar process. However, try as you might, you will never spontaneously sprout colorful wings and flutter away.

This is not due to some failure on your part, it’s simply because you are not a caterpillar, you are a human being. There is really no escaping from yourself. You will always be you, no matter what you do. Regardless of how much transformation you experience in your lifetime, you will still be a human being in the end.

So, what exactly are you supposed to transform into? The real question is, what kind of human being do you want to become?  As Heather Ash Amara points out, change is going to happen anyway, whether or not you put any effort in. In fact, you could take no action at all and still undergo a transformation of sorts. The only difference is you might not like what you transform into. Real transformation, therefore, involves taking conscious control over the process of change. If change is going to happen anyway, then transformation means purposely changing for the better.
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Of course, transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of a sustained, intentional effort to evolve and grow and become the best possible version of yourself. There are no shortcuts. There’s no magic pill you can take or button you can push to transform yourself. Instead, transformation is the direct result of your daily actions. So, instead of waiting passively for change to happen to you, take steps today towards becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be.