With the world around us changing every day, and especially what every single one of us has gone through from early 2020 through date is nothing short of transformation. For some, this transformation has turned out to be the best thing that happened to them or their loved ones. For others, this transformation has been extremely stressful and at times even perceived as “harsh” and “tough” for having to pass through it. The reason I say “perceived” in here is because every individual receives and manages information coming through our surroundings differently. Something perceived by an individual as being “good” or “best” for themselves may be driven by their own perception of how they define “good” or “best”. For e.g.: Someone who receives a job offer with their desired salary and package, they will perceive this change as being “positive” and/or “the best thing that happened to them”. However, they are oblivious to the context behind creation of this particular job opportunity. It may be that a function within an organization went through a re-organization or re-structuring, and as a result caused jobs within that function to be changed, which in turn may have resulted in position eliminations and headcount reductions. For the individuals who are impacted by the position and headcount elimination and who lose their job and livelihood, they would perceive this as “negative”, “challenging” and sometimes to be the “worst thing that could have happened to them”. The point being, transformations are inevitable. How you choose to perceive them and manage through them, is what makes or breaks you!

That being said, let’s unpack what “Transformation” actually means. According to Google, the basic definition of Transformation is “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance”. As I read this definition, it seems incomplete to me as this only refers to the physiological change one may go through and not the psychological one, which could have equal if not higher impact on a person as they go through the change process. The physiological transformations are easier to comprehend since you can easily see or visualize the changes happening right in front of you. Psychological transformations refer to the change in one’s thought process, visions, goals, perceptions and mindset. As you can imagine, these are not as easy to comprehend since thoughts, goals, perceptions are not physical objects, rather these are your ideas, opinions that originate in your mind or brain and are not visible to you and to others. Positive psychological transformations will in-turn have positive impact on physiology as well. Whether a transformation is physiological or psychological, both will have an ever-lasting impact on you.

Physiological transformations are inevitable. Any living creature is bound to go through physiological changes throughout their life, whether they ask for it or not. On the other hand, psychological changes need to often be stimulated if you truly desire to find deeper meaning and purpose of your life. You cannot rush physiological changes i.e.: a baby cannot rush itself to adolescence without going through early and middle years of childhood. However a 10 year old can certainly decide to stretch their thinking and master programming, mathematics or any other subject they like and get to professional life earlier and start accumulating wealth earlier than their peers and thus transform their thinking into that of matured individual ahead of others. The KEY to psychological transformation is “YOUR WILLINGNESS and DESIRE to get to the next level”. When you DESIRE CHANGE, you are WILLING to challenge all your existing understandings and beliefs and OVERCOME perceived limitations in an explicable way! When you make the effort and give it your 100%, the Almighty will reward you exponentially in a way you may have never imagined.

When prophecy was bestowed upon Prophet Muhammad SAW, this lead to large scale transformations at the time, that hold true till today. These transformations came in all forms of life – physiological, psychological, social, etc. While the process of going through change wasn’t necessarily easy, the ever-lasting impact it had on the people of that age and generations to come is quite evident.

Each and every one of us has the potential to achieve a higher purpose in life. To limit your psychological transformation or to break-through and get to that next level by making an impact in others lives, is a choice you are free to make. We all know CHANGE IS A CONSTANT. You can empower yourself by shifting your mindset, re-aligning your thought process and staying resilient through the change and making the transformation work in your favor. Or you can subject yourself to “victim mentality” and let the change overpower you, leaving you with the perception that you are helpless and victim to the ongoing transformation.

Remember: The secret of change is to focus all of your energy NOT on Fighting the OLD, but on BUILDING THE NEW! – By Socrates

It is an evolution, not a revolution!