How to implement change that sticks.

"I need a fresh start. I'm going to move to Texas to create a better life for my children."

I said this in September 2017 and made the big move from Illinois to Texas, again, with my son and daughter. The plan was to be in a new environment to create a feeling of inspiration and new beginnings. I wanted my children to be in good schools and be around a thriving community. As a pharmacy technician, I was able to find work very quickly. I started working for a Fortune 500 company. The experience was enriching because I had the opportunity to walk into a beautiful new facility, move up to new positions and make new friends. The move to Texas lit my spirits up. I would often catch myself staring off into nature as I would drive just taking in the reality of my new norm. Every day felt like an inspiration of some sort. I never wanted to move back to Illinois. I quickly realized that I would need a lot of money to make it to Texas. I got involved in the gig economy such as driving for LYFT and I eventually changed jobs to work in a hospital where I'd be making more money. I also joined an MLM company, Amway. All in hopes to become financially free. I attempted to change my mindset with books, being around successful people making millions, and journaling. Although all of this worked, it didn't last because there were pressing issues in my reality I couldn't ignore. I was living deep in survival mode.

Eventually, I got an apartment. Although I was managing my home, work, kids, daycare, and living expenses, I was barely getting by. I left my hometown of living paycheck to paycheck, barely able to afford daily living, and struggling to put food on the table only to live the same way but in a new environment with fewer family around to support me. Yes, I was more inspired and the opportunities were abundant in Texas but I couldn't sustain a lifestyle there without proper support. This is when I learned that interdependence is better than independence. We go fast alone but we go far together. I want to go far in life. It wasn't until the start of the COVID pandemic that I realized I had to move back home. There was absolutely no way I was going to make it alone during that time. As pessimistic as this may sound it was reality for me. So I packed up and moved back before the state locked me down, unable to leave.

Many people would be embarrassed by having to move back home twice, once in 2011 after staying for 2 months and again in 2020 after staying for 2 years. Not me. I am not ashamed of trying. I am not afraid of failing in front of everyone. Well, I don't see myself failing in texas, I see myself learning and being brave. After all, how else am I going to know what it's like to live if I don't live? I've always been so determined to make it and live the life of my dreams—one which doesn't look like poverty and poor health. I was and am on a mission to do life how I want and for what works & doesn't work for me. Y'all know that saying, "if you can't make it here, you can't make it nowhere." I do not like that saying. I think people who use this saying doesn't understand the power of "you are a product of your environment." The reasons I feel you can't make it anywhere else besides where you come from is because of conditioning, habitual living, and comfortability. Me, I was not. I knew there was more life to live and I was going to live it. I believe that there are environments you can make it in because they are nourishing environments for your growth. If only you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable. In my case, I didn't make it those two times because I was exhausted, broke, and had very little support. Just to give you a small glimpse of my life, I would dose off into a fast sleep while driving many times. I had to trust strangers to watch my kids just so I could go to meetings to learn from the wealthy. Nobody ever visited my home. It was just me and my kids always. Any help I did receive was from in-town family, new friends, and from the man I was in a long-distance relationship with. Seems like much but it just wasn't enough.

After becoming a personal development coach this year, 2022, I learned about how changing your environment is the most important change you can make but it doesn't last long because change has levels. Each level creates a shift needed for a portion of your full transformation. This brings me to the reason we are here today. To talk about how to logically implement change.

A man named Robert Dilts created a model of change called, "the Logical levels of change." It is a model in which he proposed the logical ways we can achieve change on an individual and organizational level. The 6 Logical Levels of change are:

This is a great tool to use to look deep into how and why we do what we do based on the factors listed in the pyramid above.

The environmental level is the biggest & most fundamental level of change. It asks the question of where and focuses on the external context of change. In my story, I lived in a low-income black community, plagued by gun violence, poor vegetation, little resources for expansion/growth, high public assistance reliability, and corruption. To me, the city had a gray cloud around it and it seemed very rare for people to succeed or make it out. Even though, it's considered the city of champions, based on the sports team of the high school in the area. There was very little attention given to other talents. Miles Davies, Jackie Joyner-Kerse, Darius Miles, and Katherine Dunham are all big-name successors from the city where I am from. Though there is a consistent effort to try to rebuild the city, there is no denying how easy it is to get pulled into the lack/survival mindset. So I decided to move away and start over in an environment that was more lively, and full of resources. My mindset shifted and this is how I started my personal development journey; in a new environment full of opportunities.

"When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower." -Alexander Den Heijer

The behavior level is the next level that asks the question what. What does the person do in the environment? What are the habits and patterns of the individual or group in a setting? For me, the habit I had was living paycheck to paycheck. I spent my money without regard for my financial future. I messed up my credit very early based on bad advice. I was told to get a credit card and then max it out. I don't remember ever being taught how important it was to pay on my credit card. I was surrounded by so many people who didn't have financial literacy. I adopted those same habits as I developed into an adult. It was very evident that my behavior was learned and conditioned. When I moved, I had to learn about budgeting, credit, and passive income if I wanted to make it. I also learned about the compound effect which teaches how everyday decisions will create the life you want or the life you don't want.

"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." -Darren Hardy

The capabilities levels askes the question of how. How does skills and knowledge impact behavior in the environment? Think of this level as strategies and planning. This includes decision-making skills, learning, memory, and creativity used to facilitate performance. I didn't have a plan for what I was going to do in Texas. I just knew I wanted a new life experience. I needed change. I made so many spontaneous decisions. Many of my decisions were based on me moving away from being broke and struggling; basically, survival mode-based decisions. I was running from one life to another but I was attracted to the same circumstances because my energy was invested in lack instead of abundance. I remember asking for divine intervention for what I needed, which was a mentor. someone to hold my hand and guide me down the right path step by step. I also learned about manifestation and started to experiment with the concept. I found out very fast about the validity of the law of attraction because I manifested money more than once and a life coach who came and guided me toward my desires.

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” -Oprah Winfrey

The beliefs/values level asks us why. Why do you do what you do, the way you do it, at a particular time and place? Strategy and capability are used to get a specific behavioral outcome. Why does it matter? Values and beliefs support and give us the green light to do something or be someone. They are at the base of our cultural lifestyles and how we judge. I believe in living a fulfilled life. So my behavior shows this no matter where I am. Certain environments nurtured me more than others as it pertains to what I value and believe to be true about life. I believe we create the life we want for ourselves. As a result, I moved to Texas a big canvas to create on and many tools to create with. A lot of the people who moved there believed in starting a new life and taking advantage of opportunities to live their dreams. It is very diverse and full of culture. I even was able to find a black-owned bookshop that celebrated Kwanzaa and participated in the black uplifting of our community. My actions were growing to align with my values as I continued to grow more confident in what I believed about myself and life.

"Your belief determines your action and your actions determine your results, but first you have to believe." -Mark Victor Hansen

Identity is the next level up. It poses the question, "Who am I?" Identity is your role or mission with respect to your values. How do you identify yourself in your job, marriage, family, etc? When I moved to Texas, I had no idea who I was fundamental. I remember writing in my journal about hiding behind a mask. I went on a search for my identity. I had to learn my beliefs, likes, and dislikes, and learn my purpose. It was not an overnight process. I had to do a lot of reflection and shadow work to get to where I am at today.

The final level is purpose or spirituality. The question posed here is, "Who else other than you?" Purpose/spirituality is bigger than but embedded in your identity. This is a sense of contribution to a grandiose system in which you participate. On this deep level, all the systems are connected as one. The purpose is defined as a reason for being created and is designed to drive change. The reason why I started my brand is because of my drive to bring balance, guidance and healthy ways to mentally, emotionally, and physically get through life. When I feel like I want to give up, I remember the reason why I started and it gives me the gas to continue. I also have a purpose of living the life I envision, no matter what struggles arise in life.

So when we look at this pyramid, it looks like a hierarchical system and it is. Each level is affected directly by the level above and below it. They all need to work together to properly implement change that sticks. You can't have a tree without the roots, leaves, sun, soil, and growth to produce seeds to harvest more trees. What would a forest be without trees? Well, land. What would that land be without the earth? Well, nothing. Everything changes and works for the good of the next thing. Life is one big rotation and when you determine your place in this life, you'll always have to adapt to the inevitable changes. Might as well implement change that sticks long enough to get you the results you're seeking. I hope this helps.

PEACE❤️