The Agony and Ecstasy of Change
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 2.6.2018
There was a widespread story on the internet about the eagle’s rebirth. It claimed that an eagle has to pull out its own feathers and smash its beak in order to regrow and extend its life for a couple more decades. Although the story was touching and inspirational, it turned out to be a myth without any studies or scientific evidence to support it. Even so, we could learn from the intended message that changes are painful, but necessary for a better life.
Two examples come to mind where change creates something marvelous. The first one is the genetically built-in transformation of a caterpillar to a cocoon and a butterfly. Other than the original genes, the appearance and structure in the 3 stages of a butterfly’s life are totally different. And most interestingly, the new butterfly has to painfully squeeze through the tiny cocoon opening in order to let the body fluid flow to its wings. If one tries to speed up the process by opening the cocoon, the butterfly will not have strong enough wings to fly. The struggle through the tiny opening makes the butterfly strong.
Another example is the renowned sculptor Michelangelo, who was commissioned by Pope Julius to paint the Sistine Chapel. Initially, Michelangelo resisted because he was not fond of painting and found the ceiling’s paneled layout uninspiring. But at the insistence of the Pope, Michelangelo finally completed this work. A best-selling novel and movie have documented the agony and ecstasy of such a “forced” change that created the masterpiece to be marveled by us for centuries.
Change is not easy. It requires vision, skills, incentives, resources, and an action plan. Lacking any of these key elements can create confusion, anxiety, frustration, resistance, and false starts.
It takes a lot of effort and agony to have all the right elements lined up for change, in yourself or in your organization. But the rewards and ecstasy in reaching a high plateau and achieving better results will make it all worth it.
Best wishes as you march along the journey of positive change.
變革的苦痛與狂喜
–作者 許俊宸博士
–中譯 薛乃綺
網路上廣為流傳一則老鷹重生的故事。故事說，老鷹必須要拔光自己的羽毛、擊碎自己的啄，才能再生，並延長幾十年的壽命。故事雖然很有渲染力，可惜沒有研究或科學根據，而變成了一段神話。即便如此，我們也可以從內含的訊息中學習到，改變是痛苦的、但卻是改善生活所必要的事情。
想到了兩個例子，都是在講改變創造了奇妙的事情。第一個是毛蟲、繭以及蝴蝶的基因內置轉化。除了原有的基因之外，蝴蝶生命三個階段的外觀和結構完全不同。而最有趣的是，新的蝴蝶必須痛苦地擠過小小的繭孔，才能讓體液流向翅膀。如果試圖打開繭來加速這個過程，則蝴蝶的翅膀將不夠強壯來支撐飛翔。通過微小孔洞的困境後，讓蝴蝶變得更加強大。
另一個例子是著名的雕塑家─米開朗基羅。他受到教皇朱利葉斯的委託，繪製西斯廷教堂。最初米開朗基羅，他對繪畫沒有興趣；而且發現天花板的鑲板格局一點都不起眼。但在教皇的堅持下，米開朗基羅最終還是完成了這項工作。後世的暢銷小說和電影，紀錄了這種”強制”變革的痛苦與狂喜，以及這項數百年來令人歎為觀止的傑作。
改變並不容易。它需要遠见、技能、激勵、資源，及具体的行動計畫。如附图所示，缺少了這些關鍵要素的任何一個，都可能會造成混亂、焦慮、沮喪、抵制、甚至是錯誤的開始。
將所有的正確元素聚集排列起來，在自己身上或組織中進行變革，這將需要付出很大的努力及经过许多的苦痛。但是当你達到高點、並取得更好的結果时，那种獎勵與狂喜，會讓這一切付出都是值得的。
祝福你也能積極邁向改變，革新，和再生的正途！
