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The Path of Change
“Change is not part of the process, it is the process.”
An article by David Aitken
Change is constant and inevitable. Yet, it is often the thing we fight hardest to avoid, and
because of this, we suffer. While it may not be possible to live completely without the
pain caused by change, we can undoubtedly reduce our suffering. Doing so requires us to
recognize that while the changes we face are always different, the dynamics that underlie
our experience of them are almost always extremely similar. There is a ‘story structure’
to change that is familiar regardless of the specific content provided by the events
themselves. By learning this pattern, which shares its fabric with the most ancient
myths, we give ourselves a tool that can offer great insight when we look at our travails
in its context. If we choose to pay attention to it, this understanding can help us to see
change coming, to accept it when it arises, and to make the turbulent period that follows
as brief and painless as possible.
Our model of the Path of Change has seven stages:
1. Status Quo
2. The Destabilizing Event
3. The Cycle of Resistance
4. Letting Go into the Cauldron
5. The Cycle of Suffering
6. Climbing out of the Cauldron
7. New Status Quo
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Destabilizing events
Status quo
Cauldron
of Change
New status quo
Vision of the future
Adaptive challenge
chaos
abyss
fear
uncertainty
anxiety
opportunity
faith
creativity
Defence
Denial
Arrogance
Holding on
Resistance
Path of change
overy
e
omfort
onnect
e
Wake-up calls
Hold on
Let go
R
S
purpose
The Path of Change
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1. Status Quo
This is the ‘before’ picture; life in a relatively stable and predictable state. There are ups
and downs, but on the whole our ability to maintain this regularity is not threatened to any
serious extent. While this describes our external circumstances – a steady job perhaps,
or a comfortable relationship – it also, and perhaps more importantly, describes our
inner state. There, relative balance reigns also, as our approach to things has become
similarly steady and comfortable. This is not to say that there are not pains and joys, but
that these more or less cancel each other out as life moves along. In other words, the
Status Quo is a situation in which the forces at work – both inside and out – are in a state
of equilibrium.
2. The Destabilizing Event
Also known as a ‘wake-up call’, this is any occurrence that throws the system off-
balance. They come in many forms; perhaps the news of a layoff, worrying test results
from the doctor, or even a particularly difficult conversation with a partner. It may even
be as subtle as a sense of frustration or listlessness that wasn’t there the day before, and
keeps coming back. Whether it is an external event, or an internal one, and whether it is
loud and dramatic or quiet and modest, it can be identified by two critical characteristics:
we didn’t ask for it, and we don’t know what we’re going to do in response. It is the
absence of a quickly forthcoming solution that defines this moment in time as a sign that
change is coming. Whatever beliefs, behaviors and assumptions were maintaining the
steady state, they are no longer adequate.
In narrative terms, this point in a story is often called the ‘inciting incident’, and it does
exactly the same thing in fiction as in real life, indicating to the hero that the world as
they know it is going to transform, whether they like it or not.
Whether or not they, or we, take notice is another matter.
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3. The Cycle of Resistance
In an ideal world, and if we were ideal people, we would immediately accept the message
embedded in the Destabilizing Event, roll up our sleeves, and bid Change to step into the
ring with us. However, we almost never do this. Change can seem to be a terrifying, or
at least unwanted, unknown, in which the things we hold dearest can be put in jeopardy,
and as long as we can resist, we normally do. Our instincts may be to ‘hold on’ to the way
things are, and pretend that pre-existing solutions can, in fact, be used to address this
new situation. We may be effective for a while, but only in creating a sense of comfort
that, while it may seem important on the surface, is doing nothing to address the root of
the problem.
In classical mythic structure, heroes frequently ‘refuse the call of adventure’, reflecting
our natural tendency to remain in denial as long as possible. In many stories, they only
take action when things get worse, and often face an even more powerful adversary as a
result. And so too in life; the longer we resist, the more dire the situation we’re avoiding
tends to get, making this stage on the path one of the most critical places where we can
make a conscious choice to minimize our suffering. The sooner we let ourselves accept
that the future will not look like the present, and that there may be a bumpy road ahead,
the smaller the bumps will probably be.
It is very important to remember not to underestimate our capacity to resist. We may
know people who have done so unto death, or collapse, or some other irreversible
damage, as they exhaust themselves in trying to stave off the inevitable. They are
cautionary figures for us, examples that prove the necessity of turning to face what lies
ahead.
4. Letting Go into the Cauldron
In this crucial moment of decision, we make our first vital step forward, simply by
accepting the new information presented in the Destabilizing Event. While this may
seem a small thing, it can often be an enormous act of courage. To see why, we can turn
to the study of myth, where this part of a story is sometimes called ‘The Abyss’. At this
point, the hero is often either symbolically or literally dismembered in order to allow
them to move from the world of the known into the new realm of the unknown. This may
seem to be the fulfillment of every terrible fantasy that prompts us to resist the initial
Destabilizing Event and, in a way, it is. There is no way ‘out’ in change, there is only
‘through’, even for the most spectacular heroes of fairy tales. However, what must be
understood is this dismemberment is a symbolic death only, a breaking down of the ego
that is absolutely necessary for a new form to arise.
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5. The Cycle of Suffering
The heart of the Cauldron is exactly as we would expect: hot, uncomfortable, and
extremely stressful. Here, we are brought face to face with the inadequacy of our
previous strategies; never is ‘what we don’t know’ more evident than it is here. The
apparent magnitude of our fall can seem so enormous that we lose hope, that we let
ourselves be tossed and turned in a state of complete unknowing, uncertainty, and even
despair.
This is the point in myth often referred to as the ‘Supreme Ordeal’, in which the hero faces
their darkest and most powerful demons. For many, there is cause to resign themselves
to defeat. In our own lives, this scenario can seen familiar, as we all have at one time
ground to a complete energetic halt in the face of a challenge. This crisis of confidence
presents us with the risk that we might choose to stay there, rather than continue. It can
be a strangely attractive position, for if we choose despair, we are at least able to retain
some sense of our own control.
It is at this point that we move from the unavoidable condition of pain, and into the self-
perpetuated condition of suffering. Indeed, many around us may be doing the very same
thing, and the comfort provided by this small measure of power is made even softer by
having others to share it with. It may not feel like a choice, it may seem ‘just the way it is’,
yet it is vital to see it as, in fact, a decision. And one way to avoid it, or to at least bring
it to a swift conclusion, is to realize that its rationale is fundamentally flawed, because
it ignores the most basic law of nature: everything changes. No torment can truly last
forever, so it is as sandy a foundation on which to build a castle as the Status Quo.
As in the Cycle of Resistance, this too is a place on the journey where our willingness to
step back and look at the big picture can save us enormous grief. For the sooner we are
willing to accept the possibility of a way out, the sooner we will see the next leg of the
path before us.
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6. Climbing out of the Cauldron
The moment we consider how this struggle, as treacherous and awful as it may have
been, could be headed somewhere, we are on our return to the surface. It is in times
like these that we realize what is worth living for, and that it is worth living for still; no
amount of chaos can shake the true foundation of our spirits. We may have been forced
to see things differently, even, in extreme cases, to revise very basic ideas of who were
are; yet these changes allow us to reconnect with our Faith, rather than undermine it. A
vital asset at this stage is the capacity to be open, because an open mind is a catalyst for
creativity, which is necessary if we are to find a way to reconnect with our Purpose, which
is the final key to leaving the Cauldron behind us. Our Purpose shines through the murk,
challenging us, compelling us to move toward it. Our Purpose is bigger – must be bigger
– than our suffering.
In mythic terms, the hero is rewarded for successfully facing their Supreme Ordeal with
an elixir, a magic potion that is powerful enough to heal the world. This elixir and our
Purpose are one and the same thing, as both have the power to transform our lives, and
the lives of others, to a new and better state.
7. New Status Quo
As we follow our Purpose, a new world arises around us, the reward for successfully
engaging the challenge that the Destabilizing Event put before us. As in the period before
our struggle began, this is a time of relative balance, in which our ability to maintain
stability around and inside us goes more or less unchallenged. While it is essential that
we enjoy this period of apparent certainty, it is important that we do not get lulled into the
false sense that this new kingdom is now and forever. Our journey through the Cauldron
should have shown us that the calm is always prelude to another storm, but it should also
have taught us something just as important: that we can survive the journey when we are
called upon to make it again. If we remain connected to our faith, even in the times we
may not feel we need to depend upon it, we may be more willing to accept, and less likely
to resist, the next round of this unending cycle.
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A Note for Leaders
At times, we may be called upon to lead others who are in the midst of their own struggle
with change. In such situations, it is highly beneficial both to know the dynamics of that
process, as outlined above, and also to be aware of key points where leaders can help
others along their journey.
1. Understand Attachment
Change is hard because individuals, and companies, hold on to what is familiar and
comfortable. Resistance to change is always about people or systems ‘holding on’
to what they know. If you face individuals or groups that may be resisting change, as
yourself ‘what are people attached to?’, and ‘how can they be supported to move into the
unknown?’
2. Instilling Courage
It takes courage to move into the unknown, and to acknowledge the very personal toll
that can take. If you face individuals or groups that may be fearful in the face of change,
ask yourself ‘what support could I give that would cause them to feel more courage in the
face of this change?’
3. Model Accountability
In the midst of change, people – and result – suffer. It is tempting to play the victim. If
faced with individuals or groups who may take this stance, ask yourself ‘how can I, as a
leader, exemplify the principle of accountability in a useful way?’ and ‘how can I support
people to rise above these circumstances to pursue the desired results?’
4. Inspiring Purpose
If individuals and organizations are going to make it through the turbulence of change,
they need to know why. There must be a higher purpose to aspire to, or the challenges
may be overwhelming. It is a particular opportunity of leaders to put Purpose in the
foreground in a challenging predicament. If faced with such a situation, ask yourself ‘how
can I help these individuals, and this organization as a whole, focus on their purpose?’
