Life is a series of transitions, and for me, three significant ones stand out. Moving from China to Canada, shifting from public accounting to full-time coaching, and moving from city to a remote country setting have each reshaped my life in profound ways.
When people hear my story, they often comment on my courage. However, to me, I didn’t see it that way—I didn’t intend to be courageous. In fact, I was scared of the uncertainty; I only knew that these changes were necessary.
For a long time, I didn’t fully understand why I made these decisions. Sometimes, when my inner critic surfaced, I would label myself as impulsive. It wasn’t until I learned about Beckhard’s Formula for Change that I realized I wasn’t impulsive; I was simply ready for change.
Beckhard’s Formula for Change:
(available on Erickson course material and YouTube Channel)
D×V×F>R
- D: Dissatisfaction with the current state
- V: Clear Vision of a more compelling future
- F: First steps towards a different future
- R: Resistance to change
Change happens when the product of dissatisfaction, a clear vision, and practical first steps is greater than the resistance to change.
From China to Canada: Start with No Vision
In 2013, I boarded a plane and flew 14 hours to Toronto Pearson International Airport with no idea how to order a sandwich combo at McDonald’s. I didn’t know anyone in Canada and had never been to Toronto. If you asked what my life in Canada might look like, I would have said, “I don’t know.”
Despite the unknown, I chose to move. Through the lens of Beckhard’s Formula for Change, although my vision (“V”) was weak, my dissatisfaction (“D”) and first step (“F”) were strong, surpassing my resistance to change (“R”).
The practical first step was taking a certified English language test. To my surprise, I scored well, igniting an inner fire of possibilities—studying in Canada, discovering new opportunities. This opened up a blank canvas for the vision board and led to more steps: doing research, applying to universities, selecting offers, and eventually flying to Canada.
What started with no vision turned into a transformation of my entire worldview. The blank vision board has been filled with colourful strokes from navigating different cultures, fostering resilience and cultivating self-reliance. All of these experiences have led to the life I am living today, and I continue painting on that canvas.
As coaches, we know that when we ask a scaling question, “On a scale from 1 to 10, where are you right now”, we never start with 0 because there is alway something. Even though I said I started this transition with “no vision” and my answer would have been “I don’t know”, that’s not entirely true. It indeed started with nothing painted on the canvas, but at least I have got the blank vision board itself.
From Public Accounting to Full-Time Coaching: Start with No Dissatisfaction or First Step
Accounting might not be the most exciting work, but I had the privilege of working with a great team and wonderful clients for 6 years, filled with continuous learning and growth. The “D” in the formula was weak. Yet, the product of “V” and “F” has become strong enough to surpass the “R.”
The seed for this transition was planted years ago during a summer workshop at my accounting firm. An exercise revealed my core values: love and freedom. This was a wake-up call. Since then, my vision evolved around these values. Gradually, the “D” started to develop. As I uncovered what truly matters to me, it was clear that my role no longer aligned with my core values.
Feeling a change was necessary, I envisioned becoming a psychotherapist, but returning to university for a psychology degree didn’t seem to be the practical step. Therefore, the necessary change didn’t happen for a few years until I learned about coaching—I realized it was time for a change.
It was an obvious yet difficult decision. Through the lens of the Formula, the awakening of my “V” impacted the “D”. The combination of the two signalled and guided my attention to discover the practical first step. Embracing the first step made my vision clearer and stronger. As a result, resistance to change became impossible.
From City Life to Country Life: Start with the Formula
During the first two transitions, I had no idea about the Formula, and I often felt lost in occasional confusion and self-doubt: did I really make the right decision?
Understanding the Formula has since served as a map for my journey, making this relocation an obvious and easy decision, filled with confidence and clarity. All three elements—dissatisfaction, vision, and first steps—were present evenly.
From the first two transitions, I realized I didn’t need to wait for dissatisfaction to grow stronger or for the vision to become more detailed, because they will evolve over time. What is more important is to take action once the practical first step becomes concrete.
To live the life I envision, the first step was to move closer to where I want to stay. So here I am, within a 30-minute drive to a provincial park, with easy access to various lakes for paddling and fishing, hanging out with chickens while gardening, and preparing for my next transition. This time is different, not only because I have much to learn, but also because there is no space left for self-doubt.
Each transition is built upon previous experiences, like different paint layers on the canvas. With the Formula as my guide, I can paint each stroke of the brush with more directness and focus.
Now, I appreciate people’s comments on my courage. I was courageous, and it doesn’t mean the journey of transitions was without fear. As Mark Twain beautifully put it, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
Fear has nothing to do with the Formula for Change; do it anyway!
