SAL Book: The Freedom to Change Part 4

A FORMULA FOR AUTHENTIC CHANGE

How is authentic change accomplished? 

Through five simple—but not easy—steps. 

1. A desire to change that is stronger than the desire not to change.
2. An understanding of the principles upon which change is predicated.
3. The willingness to do whatever is required to realize change.
4. The humility to seek out the help of others whenever and wherever needed throughout the process.
5. The maturity to acknowledge, and the willingness to accept, the gifts of Serendipity along the way.

SERENDIPITY: The felicitous aid of unseen forces.

There is not much I can do to help you with step one. Either you desire to change, or you don’t. If you do, then this book will be very helpful. If you don’t, there is nothing I, nor anyone else, can do for you until you do desire it.

There is a lot I can do to help you with step two, because outlining the principles of personal change is the purpose of this book.

Step three is entirely up to you. The strength of your will to work, and to be both persistent and patient throughout the process, will determine the extent of your long-term success.

Step four requires you to be humble enough to seek out the help of others as needed. Even my best personal efforts were insufficient to overcome OCD, depression, and other deep challenges I have faced in my life. The help of family, friends, and professionals were essential ingredients in my success.

Step five requires opening yourself up to, and then willingly accepting, the gifts of Serendipity. The most important SAL lesson I’ve ever had to learn is that I can’t solve all my problems by myself, even if I have access to the best available help from others. This is most humbling because I take great pride in my personal capacity for discipline, diligence, determination, persistence, proactivity, and achievement. Yet it seems that Serendipity saves me time and again after I, and others, have insufficiently done our very best to solve a perplexing personal problem. This is particularly true when dealing with issues like effectively managing mental illness, overcoming addiction, choosing life orientations that differ from your predetermined genetic or mimetic inclinations, and forgiving those who have abused or otherwise wronged you.

I can’t scientifically articulate exactly what Serendipity is, or how it works, although I do have deep spiritual and religious convictions concerning its ontology. I simply know It works—and that It’s powerful. If you desire to reach the highest levels of Existential Growth, you are going to need more than your own best efforts and the ablest assistance of others. The more open you are to Serendipity and Its seemingly coincidental, yet undeniably miraculous, power, the more it will open Itself up to you.

Acknowledging and accepting Serendipity does not require that you become a believer in a deity. It simply asks you to acknowledge and accept the reality that some things cannot be solved by human intervention alone. Science cannot identify what Serendipity is, but its existence – according to countless volumes of anecdotal affirmation – is clearly a real force in the world.

The three-fold purpose of this book, therefore, is to:

1. Proclaim the good news that personal change is possible.
2. Provide you with a toolbox of knowledge and skills to learn about and  then do what is required to realize change.
3. Share a message to help soften and inspire hearts to desire change, seek help, and accept the essential gifts of Serendipity along the way.

The possibility of, and freedom to, initiate personal change will create opportunities for some of your life’s greatest adventures and challenges. Self-Action Leadership provides a vehicle whereby you may proactively pursue and successfully tackle these adventures and challenges to become very happy, successful, and fulfilled in your life.

Next Post: Friday, November 13, 2014; Chapter 3: The Freedom to Change (Part V): The Existence of Right & Wrong.