Change, when it comes, cracks everything open.
-Dorothy Allison, O Magazine

People hate to change.

Sure, we all have things we want to change: We'd like to make more money, get married, have a better education, live in a different place, find God, stop smoking or drinking, lose weight, get in shape, whatever.

On the other hand, change is sometimes thrust on us. Maybe you've been fired or laid off, lost a promotion, had a divorce, a health problem, or just can't find a good reason to go on living.

Your boss, spouse, best friend, pastor, Rabbi, or priest tell you about the need to change. After all, everyone needs to change something. The problem is, we just don't know how.

How do we actually change our lives? What are the steps we need to take to make a difference, and start over again?

How do we get from where we are to where we want to be?

I can tell you this: without learning the right steps, it's the hardest thing you'll ever do.

Research shows that a Crisis, and even the possibility of death, doesn't make us change. After 2 years, 90% of open heart surgery patients have gone back to their old lifestyle-the same one that got them there in the first place.

Fear doesn't cause us to change because we're really good at denying fear.

The facts don't cause us to change either, because we can always reject even the truth.

That's why we've got to stop focusing on the problem, and start focusing on the change. Thirty years of making change happen in organizations around the world has taught me that companies and organizations don't change, people do.

If we can change people, we can change nations.

Yet, everyday, people settle for dead-end jobs, lower lifestyles, less money, and destructive relationships, all because it's easier to ignore changes that could transform their circumstances and change their future.

The fact is, people are desperate for change. Henry David Thoreau said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." He was talking about the search for change, and the sad truth that most people have simply given up on the possibility.

Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

I'm what the business world calls a "change agent." I am a television director and producer in Hollywood, and a media consultant to major organizations. I'm generally brought in when an organization has hit a wall, sales are off, morale is low, and they don't know what to do.

When that happens, I become a "spark" that shakes up their thinking, changes their perspective, and hopefully, transforms their approach to business and life.

The fact is, change is hard. It's difficult to do well, and it's even harder to develop a lifestyle of change. That's why I've dedicated my life to helping people, organizations, and corporations understand the power of change. As I've developed this process, marketing teams, creative teams, individuals from all walks of life, and even church and community groups have worked through the process with amazing results.

Change is here, and change is happening whether we like it or not.

It's not about knowing the future, it's being ready for the future. It's not about having the right answers, it's about asking the right questions. And it's not about things that seem urgent, it's about the things that matter.

Andy Warhol said, "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

This isn't small, because I'm talking about making changes in your life that will help you discover your destiny.

I believe we all have a purpose. But if we're ever going to discover our destiny, we need to understand change, and how to achieve long-lasting, revolutionary transformation in every area of our lives.

Science tells us that as living beings, we either change or die.

I can tell you that change happens, and it's time to discover how change can transform your life.