Anatomy of Breakthrough Developmental Moments
Can you identify a breakthrough developmental moment when it occurs in your life?
Breakthrough developmental moments have the potential to both move us forward in transformational ways and pull us down into crippling self-sabotage. When accompanied by peak emotional experiences, these moments could indicate a breakthrough discovery that never materializes in reality. Noticing how we receive key developmental moments in our lives is invaluable for stably integrating these moments, guaranteeing personal and professional growth.
There is no canon moment to observe without an action taken or a decision made. Following the triggering event, breakthrough developmental moments are characterized by the 4Cs: Calm, Coherence, and Continuity with Clarity.
Calm: Breakthrough developmental moments are stable progressive moments in your personal journey. They are not explosive or grandiose displays of action, which lean more toward bravado rather than a conscious and courageous step into the unknown. Without the stable integration of the experience, a breakthrough developmental moment fails to create lasting change. Calm is necessary for canonizing peak experiential moments.
Coherence: Coherence is the quality or state of being whole, logical, and consistent. When we possess internal coherence, our actions and decisions flow efficiently and effectively through a well-regulated nervous system. True breakthrough developmental moments offer change without disruption to inner coherence while integrating the change. It is simply the logical next step, regardless of the size of the leap we may need to take.
Clarity with Continuity: Clarity with Continuity naturally follows harmonious inner coherence. Life moves forward with the actions taken or decisions made, regardless of the outcomes. Internal coherence takes precedence over external comfort. The addition or elimination of a valuable connection to a task, project, passion, career, or relationship is par for the course.
With this concept in mind, in daily personal reflections, reflect on key moments of the day and ask yourself: On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest,
What is my level of acceptance/calm after the action or decision?
What level of reassurance/coherence do I feel in my body after the action or decision?
Anything short of 10/10 for both these questions requires a more profound reflection, as it indicates potential for disruption without transformative progressive change.
Helpful Tips for Managing Transformation
Could you look into support to achieve a self-assured 10/10 rating on your decisions? Support could involve debriefing with a trusted friend, a good night's rest, or even a cup of tea or meditation.
Does your rating move towards a self-assured 10/10 in the days following the moment? If so, you are on track for integration.
If the moment doesn’t sit well with you, or in other words, causes disruptions to your internal harmony, please consider backing down at the expense of external perceptions of your clarity. The external image is relatively more straightforward to rebuild than the loss of internal coherence.
