Don’t just change. Evolve - to be better.

As they say, change is indeed constant: From daily micro-changes to the major earth-shaking tectonic shifts that rattle us to our core. At each of these inflections big and small, we have the choice to simply acknowledge and move through, collecting our wrinkles or scars. Or - we have the opportunity to evolve - to become better. 

Whether it’s an intense relationship or interaction, something we witness, or an experience we have: when we are faced with new inputs, we get to let them move us. We have a choice: we can turn away, or we can turn toward. Turning toward is what leads to evolution. Turning toward means allowing new inputs to complicate what we think we know, so we can glean new insights that alter our behaviors and the prism through which we see the world. We might, as my coach laura brewer says, let ourselves “be radicalized.” That’s not simply change. That’s evolution.

And it’s not just for us. When creatures evolve as they have since the beginning of time, it’s in order to survive for the good of the species - alongside their environment, and not in contrast to it. It’s my belief that in our culture, the internal, human-lifetime scale evolution is a revolutionary act because it requires that we step outside of ourselves and consider the collective vs the individual. Evolution requires attention to and consideration of our environment and the others around us. We adapt and evolve to be better - not just for ourselves, but for the collective. I’d argue that it is what we owe each other. 

If we’re paying attention, even our micro-evolutions will lead to major transformation. But this requires work. It requires empathy. It requires deep self-reflection. To that end, here are some journal prompts, which come from a mix of teachers and traditions, that I use during moments and seasons of change to ensure I’m evolving for the better: 

I. What am learning through this experience?

II. What am I shedding and leaving behind? What old stories and patterns are no longer serving me? 

III. What is on the other side? What intentions can I set moving forward? 

IV. What do I need right now? What does my community need? How can I show up for both? 

Now go forth and evolve.