Listen to Unlocking Change: 6 Signs You're Ready to Transform

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Hey there and welcome. Are you a woman who is unapologetically ambitious, but you're also deeply focused on honoring God, loving your family well and pursuing meaningful work? Well, you've come to the right place. My name is Dana Byers and you and I are going to be fast friends. Let's get started.  

 

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Before we get started today, I wanna take just a moment and share with you a recent five star review I received from a one-on-one coaching client. Mary Beth says, Dana's refreshing perspective helped me see my own situation in much clearer, simpler terms. She helped me come up with workable and tangible next steps to help me get unstuck. I am so thankful for my time with her. It is a joy working with you, Mary Beth. Thank you so much for sharing your positive experience with all my listeners. If you'd like to learn more about what it looks like to work with me, go to dana byers coaching.com/get coached.  

 

01:10 

Hey there everyone. Welcome back for another episode of Been There, learned that This is Dana Byers. I am a certified life coach. I help Christian working women sort through frustrations, confusion, struggles in their personal and professional lives so they can draw closer to God and actually enjoy their lives. Today in this episode, I wanna talk about six signs of readiness for change. It is so frequent that I have conversations with clients or friends or loved ones who recognize they might be on the cusp of some kind of change in their lives, and I love to talk to them about some of the signs of readiness that I have discovered over my decades of living that God can use to just give me a better understanding as to whether or not I am prepared to move forward. So as I go through these six signs of readiness, don't hear me say You have to have all of them and don't hear me say you have to do it exactly this way.  

 

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What I'm trying to provide for you is just a framework of some themes that I have noticed over many years walking with Jesus, many years of being in the workplace, raising kids, being married, all of these things, and I'm, I'm just hoping to give you some ideas that might encourage you. If you are in a season where you have a sense or maybe some Holy Spirit led intuition, that change might be on the horizon. And so my hope for you is that as you listen to these, you are also given a sense of peace that God would give you a sense of peace, whether or not you should or should not move forward. May he give you insight to give you an understanding about where you're at and what you might be needing before you are able to move forward with confidence. Okay, so let's dive into these six signs.  

 

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The first sign of Readiness for Change that I like to look for is the idea of experiencing alignment with your values. And this means that your desired actions, the things you're looking to do, they actually align with biblical values and beliefs. And if you are experiencing an alignment with your values, you're probably feeling that taking this action will honor God. You believe it's going to contribute positively to your life, but also to the lives of others. Second sign of readiness for change would be a sense of inner peace and confidence. Now, don't hear me say that you have 100% peace and no concerns, and don't hear me say that you need to be at a place where you are arrogant or your ego is brought into this. That's not confidence. What I am saying is that despite potential fears or uncertainties that you're facing, you could still feel a deep inner sense of peace and confidence that God is guiding you one step at a time, one day at a time towards a potential change.  

 

04:18 

And if you're experiencing this sign of readiness, the second sign of readiness, which is inner peace and confidence, you likely are experiencing A, an increase in your faith and your faith that God is going to provide you the strength and the resources that you need to move forward to obey him. A third sign of readiness is having a support system in place. There were many years where even though I felt God was leading me to do things I had not built or invited in or for whatever reason, most of them due to my own fault, I had not created a healthy support system. And I think this is a good sign of readiness for change is if you have a solid Christian support system. So that means that you have sought counsel and prayer maybe from some trusted mentors, parents, family, friends, loved ones coworkers, and that you have received maybe even some pushback or possibly some confirmation and encouragement, whatever that looks like, you have talked to other people who follow Jesus about this potential change.  

 

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If you have this sign of readiness for change, this support system, you will be feeling supported by your community. You are going to be better able and ready to lean on them for guidance and accountability. You know, the support system might say to you, we don't actually support this. We aren't sure that this is God's best for you. Now, it'll be up to you to decide how to proceed, but the ability to have this support system is a great sign of readiness. These are people that you can talk to as you consider a change. A fourth sign of readiness for change is just an overall general sense of preparedness. You. If you're feeling this, you have taken practical steps to prepare yourself, maybe such as acquiring necessary skills, knowledge, or resources. I worked with a client a couple years ago who was considering changing her entire field of work.  

 

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And as she remained in her existing job, she still felt this pull. She felt that God was leading her into another field, a different industry. And so she began taking practical steps to get, I guess essentially it wasn't a full degree, but it was a bit of a certification to prepare herself for what she sensed God was doing. It was the right next step. And if you have this sign of readiness, this sense of preparedness, this approach to preparedness, then you're going to feel ready to handle the challenges and responsibilities that come with making this change. It doesn't mean you know everything to expect, but it does mean that you've put together maybe a plan A, a plan B, and maybe even a plan C to anticipate and be prepared for what might come so that you have your own back and you're able to stay the course if you do make a change.  

 

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A fifth sign of readiness for change is the desire for change. I was talking to a client earlier today and she is experiencing some frustration in her current role. And while she doesn't feel called to change her job, she does feel called to have a difficult conversation and to change one specific approach to how she handles her job. And I said to her, you know what I see in you, this desire to make the change? And she said, yes, that is something that has changed, that God has changed in my heart since I last met with you. So she began feeling a strong desire to move out of the approach that she was taking at work and to make some positive changes by having that conversation, by adjusting her approach to work. And often when women are experiencing this sign of readiness for change, as they start feeling an increase in their desire to move towards the change, they get to a point of frustration.  

 

08:12 

They get to a point where they're tired of feeling stagnant, they're frustrated with the status quo, and they start feeling motivated by the possibility of positive things in the future. They feel motivated to pursue growth and improvement and to obey God because they recognize that where they're at isn't ideal, whether we're talking about a physical location or a role that they're in, or perhaps just a way that they're approaching something in their life like maybe their health or particular relationship. And the sixth sign of readiness that I have noticed in my own life and the lives of my clients is just an openness to God's leading. When a Christian working woman is open to where God is leading her, even if it means stepping out of her comfort zone, it means that she cares more about what she's headed into than all of her preconceived notions.  

 

09:04 

It means she cares more about honoring God and bringing him glory. If she makes this change, then she does about how she appears to other people. If you have this sign of readiness for change as far as the openness to God's leading, you will find yourself being more willing to trust God's timing, God's provision and his direction or redirection. Being open to God's leading to God's leading means that you've got to remain flexible and responsive to his guidance. So it doesn't mean that you start the journey and quit talking to him. It means you start the journey and He is with you. You invite him in every step of the way. It doesn't mean that you have a significant expectation for what the outcome's going to look like. Instead, you're committing to the change and being on a journey with God. You are open to his leading.  

 

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So I'm gonna run through these six signs of Readiness for change again, and then I'm gonna ask you some coaching questions. So the first sign of Readiness for Change is in alignment with your values that this potential change is in alignment with your values. The second one is you have a sense of inner peace and confidence that is increasing. The third one is you've built a solid support system or you're committed to building one to help yourself through this change. A fourth sign of readiness for change is just a general preparedness. You are taking the right next step. Doesn't have to be a big one, could be a small one, but you are taking the right next step to move forward in faith as God continues to guide you. A fifth sign of readiness for change is the desire for change. I shared with you in that example about a client who from one week to the next noticed that God was removing in her heart and she started becoming more open to making a change that she was previously hesitant about.  

 

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And then the sixth sign of Readiness for change is an openness to God's leading, inviting him in being willing to step out of your comfort zone. So not only are you experiencing sign five, the desire for change, but in sign six you are open and you are letting God in to invite him to lead you. You're releasing control and you are trusting his timing, his direction, and his provision. So with those six signs of readiness for change in mind, let's look at some coaching questions to help you confirm your readiness if there is a potential for change on your horizon. Here we go. What is God placing on your heart or bringing to mind for you regarding this opportunity?  

 

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How might taking action towards change align with your faith and your values? Have you prayed about this and sought wise counsel? If so, what feedback have they given you? What steps could you take to prepare for this potential change? What fears or obstacles are you experiencing and how can you address them with faith? In what ways do you feel supported by your community to take this potential action? And how will you, how will taking this step contribute to your personal growth and to your wellbeing or the wellbeing of others? So by reflecting on these questions and these indicators I've shared with you, Christian, working women just like you and just like me, we can gain clarity and confidence about our readiness to take meaningful and faith aligned action. I want you to remember, you have the power to shape your experiences in life, and you have the power to hold your thoughts captive so that they don't run you around. So what one person sees as stressful, another person might see as an opportunity for change. So I wanna invite you to choose your response to the opportunity or opportunities ahead of you. Invite God into them and look in your life. See if you are experiencing 1, 2, 3, maybe all six of these signs of readiness for change. Well, that's it for this week's episode of Been There, learned That. Thank you for joining me, and I will see you next week.  

 

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I'm so glad you joined me for today's episode. I don't know if you know it, but our conversation doesn't actually have to end right here. In fact, if you go on over to Dana by coaching.com, I have a bunch of resources available. Take a look, see what's available, see if any of them would benefit you in the specific season that you're facing in your life right now. I'll see you here next week.