The Ease of Radical Transformation
How to move forward with ... Courage.
By Charles T. Galloway III
Is radical life transformation actually difficult?
No. But…
The Addiction to Our Current Life
What makes change feel impossible is not the transformation itself—it is our attachment to familiar patterns. We are, in a sense, addicted to the life we already have. The habits, the rhythms, the cycles we have grown accustomed to become a kind of comfort, even when they bring us pain. Alfred Adler called this our Lebensstil, or our “style of life”, which is a unified pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that we develop early and carry with us as a lens through which we interpret every experience. Once established, this style of life resists disruption. It whispers that the unfamiliar is dangerous, that what we know is safer than what we might become.
Greg Satell, in Cascades, reminds us that transformational change does not happen through heroic individual effort or sheer willpower alone. It happens through small, deliberate shifts that ripple outward in cascades of behavior that, over time, tip entire systems into new equilibriums. The same is true within us. Personal transformation is not a single dramatic leap; it is a series of small, intentional choices that compound.
The Shock Before the Shift
When I arrived in Abu Dhabi in July of 2019, I thought I would hit the ground running. Instead, I spent the first five months in shock—adjusting to the time zone, the isolation, the disorienting quiet after years of relentless stress. Then immediately after I really started to settle in, COVID locked us all in our homes.
The opportunity to work there was a blessing, but blessings do not exempt us from the human need to process what came before, and process I surely did.
What I discovered in that stillness was something uncomfortable: the space to think revealed a voice I had been too busy to hear clearly. I call it “The Whisperer.”
The Whisperer
The Whisperer is that inner critic who attacks precisely when you are most vulnerable. When I take a break, it calls me lazy. When I enjoy a meal or notice my reflection, it shames me. When I spend a day that does not directly advance my dreams, it questions whether those dreams were ever realistic at all. Well, it tries.
Adler would recognize this voice as a manifestation of the inferiority-superiority dynamic. He noticed that there was a the gap between who we are and who we believe we should be, weaponized against ourselves.
But Adler also taught that this feeling of inferiority is not a flaw, but a driving force. The healthy response is not to silence the voice entirely, but to compensate: to channel that discomfort into growth, into striving toward something greater while maintaining what he called Gemeinschaftsgefühl - “a deep connection to community and concern for others”.
So Why Does Change Feel Hard?
It is not the transformation that is difficult. Once you begin taking the steps, your mind and attitude shift, you settle in, and you become a new person.
What is difficult is this:
Forgiving ourselves for missteps along the way
Silencing the inner critic long enough to act
Willing ourselves to break the patterns we know
Making decisions when every path seems uncertain
Allowing ourselves to be seen in a new light, by others, courageously
Richard Harwood, in The New Civic Path, writes about restoring belief in ourselves, in one another, in our capacity to move forward amid real differences. He calls this “Civic Faith,” a practical philosophy rooted in the conviction that placing shared responsibility at the center of our lives creates something better. I have come to believe that personal transformation requires a similar faith: belief that our current actions are leading us somewhere meaningful, even when we cannot yet see the destination.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting him at a talk in Frederick, Maryland at Hood College. His book, recently finished, broadcast what I believe in my heart to be true. That true change comes from community. He was suggesting that change in our communities can be seen when we work together.
I contend that working together helps us become new people, and allow for new growth in ourselves.
The Five Commitments to Transformation
Through those months of solitude and reflection, I have identified five commitments that make transformation possible:
Acceptance. We must accept that we are not perfect. Our challenges are not punishments, but they are invitations to lead more fulfilled lives. Raghuram Rajan, in The Third Pillar, describes how individuals and communities alike suffer when they lose connection to what grounds them. The same applies internally: we must accept our starting point before we can move forward.
Awareness. The inner critic exists to be heard, not followed. Something deeper inside you, the “creative self” is the true decision maker. Cultivate the ability to observe your thoughts without being ruled by them.
Responsibility. No one else will live your life. No one else can move your mind, body, or soul in any direction unless you allow it. We are responsible for our reactions, our responses to stress, and our choices about how to spend our days. Harwood calls this “turning outward” using the community, not our anxieties, as our reference point for action. I call this fighting mediocrity by being someone committed to helping others and actively developing myself, faithfully.
Faith. We must believe that our current actions are taking us somewhere better, that they matter and that we, ourselves, matter. When we believe fully that we are walking toward an improved state, we become both optimistic about what we are doing and hopeful about the results.
Accountability. Track your results. Give yourself a timeframe. Commit to specific actions and then reflect honestly on what happened. I am emphasizing that sustainable movements require not just initial victories but systems that survive the inevitable challenges, requiring resiliency. The same is true for world wide and community change: you must build structures that lasts.
The Path Forward
I now keep track of my days in a daily log/ journal. It’s where I keep track of my daily goals, activities, and thoughts - amongst other things.
Additionally, I am resurrecting my writing practice as a way to externalize the ideas swirling in my mind and share them with others who might find them useful.
My gifts have always been connecting with people and sharing information. I love learning and sharing so others can live with greater meaning.
This return to practice helps me grow into someone capable of contributing to a better world.
Transformation is not hard. It is commitment. It is showing up, even when The Whisperer tells you not to bother. It is trusting that small and intentional actions will cascade into something larger than yourself.
I hope you will follow along. Peace and blessings.