Change is hard--or so we believe. But what if it isn't? What if we just make it that way because that's what we believe? 

Yesterday I was reading this post by Megan Thom who writes about how burnt out she was in her work. Until she had an epiphany that for change to happen she must make it joyful and bring to it her authentic self:

In my burnt-out, disappointed and thoughtful state, I resolved that henceforth all activism I engaged in would involve at least one of my favourite activities: growing food, cooking food, eating food, bicycling and singing. All of these activities are inherently change-making in that they all have positive effects on our ecological, social and emotional environments. All of these activities are also fun. I figured that if I focused on these fun activities I would be both an effective agent of change and also a happy person. In fact, I would argue that one cannot be the former without also being the latter.

One of the things I tell people when they are exploring their next career moves is to "follow the energy." By this I mean to stay alert to those activities and interactions that feel inspiring, engaging, joyful and fun. Identifying these moments and then intentionally bringing more of them into your work is one of the basic activities of career exploration and change. 

What I'm finding, though, is that we have a hard time with this. Somehow if it doesn't feel like "work"--that is, if it doesn't feel like a struggle and a challenge and something we have to make ourselves do--then we dismiss it.  And asking someone to purposely bring more joy and fun to what they do? Let's just say I spend a lot of time trying to talk people into believing that this isn't "frivolous" or "impossible." 

I understand this because by nature, I am not playful. I am more serious than I'd like to be and have a tendency to see the struggle, not the joy. But I'm realizing more and more that for change to happen and for work to have real meaning to me, I need to find the joy--to find how I can bring fun and play and my best self to what I do. I need to do this not only for me, but also for the people I work with. If I think that change is hard and act accordingly, then how will they be able to see it another way themselves? 

So lately I'm asking myself, what would happen if I saw change as easy and joyful? How would changing this frame change for me what is possible? How would it change the tools I use and the ways that I interact with people? How could I build joy and play and fun into what I do and how can I help others find that joy and play in themselves?

Right now these are questions for me. The answers are still hidden. But they feel like worthwhile questions to explore. While change can be hard in the sense that we are transforming habits and ingained behaviors, one thing I've learned is that I cannot beat myself up in order to transform. Real change only happens when we act from inspiration, not desperation, when we use joy and fun to motivate ourselves to move in a different direction. 

How can you change joyfully? How can you tap into what most deeply engages and interests you to transform your life and career? I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this.