Finding Continuity in Change
Whether chosen or not, transitions are rarely easy. Finding continuity between what was and what now is can be a challenge. If one looks carefully enough, however, the throughline is usually there waiting to be discovered.
In my morning email, was a reminder of this. It came in the form of news that what will likely be the final research paper from my laboratory has been accepted for publication. Good news to be sure, but also a reminder that I have committed to a new path.
For the past three decades, I went all-in to create a successful career as a professor (a “cognitive neuroscientist” more precisely), laboratory founder, and brain imaging research center director. This paper is one of the 100 or so that comprise the public-facing fruits of those labors.
Like most science, this paper is a small piece of a much larger puzzle. It addresses some of the adaptations that occur in the brain when an individual loses a limb, a potentially important consideration for understanding pain and improving rehabilitation. How does this have anything to do with my work as a coach and performance mentor? I see at least two connections that are central to my coaching.
- Our bodies and brains are inseparably intertwined. Change one, and you cannot help but change the functioning of the other.
- Even the adult brain is capable of dramatic and nimble adaptations. Change is the stimulus for this growth.
What throughlines have provided stability and continuity during your transitions in career and life more generally?
