Dear Reader,

If you stopped by my house last week, you would have probably seen me with a broom, my husband with a hockey stick, and my two boys with arms wide open chasing chickens. You see, we moved the chicken coop closer to the bee hives as part of a creek conservation project, and well, the six ladies (as we like to call them) just didn’t want to move with it.

Can you relate? Maybe you are both the chaser and the chicken.

The chaser is the part of you who wants to change or knows you need to. The chicken is the part of you who resists, runs away, and squawks, “but it’s too hard.” To resolve the cognitive dissonance, we play small, avoid the unknown, and create stories reinforcing our reasons for staying put.

So how do we work with both these parts, the chaser pushing for change and the chicken wanting to hide out? It takes skill and courage.

Change skills for the chaser:

• Give space. Go slow. If you are ever in a position of chasing a chicken, the key is to give them lots of space and herd them from behind, gently coaxing them toward your desired destination. This is not how we usually approach change. We take on too much, go at it too hard, and then fail when our motivation wanes. Give space and go slow is your motto here. Small moves repeated over time are the ticket.​
• Ditch the scare tactics. Chickens and people flee and freeze when threatened, so don’t try to threaten yourself to change (e.g., if you don’t adopt AI, you will lose your job! This is a terrible way to go about it). Instead, use encouragement, kindness, and a gentle tone. When your nervous system feels safe, you are more open to change.

Courage skills for the chicken:

• Play bigger. The only way to grow courage is to do things that are courageous. That means expanding your zone of flexibility on a regular basis. Playing big is what makes your life bigger. Whether you want to write a book, learn more about AI, or start an exercise program—it will take some feather fluffing and putting yourself out there.
• Use your genius. Many people wouldn’t describe chickens as having a genius, but having had a flock for a decade, I disagree. Every animal and human has strengths, talents, and genius energy that can help them in amazing ways when harnessed with wise effort​. What’s yours? And how can you use it to support you in making the change you want to make?

I’ve applied these concepts to my work over the past few weeks. Check out this paper I collaborated on with Joseph Ciarocchi and researchers worldwide, where we are playing big and busting up the DSM-5 diagnostic system to provide a more individualized approach to psychological treatment. It’s pretty revolutionary and is shaking things up!

And if you are like me and a chicken when it comes to AI, you will want to listen to this conversation with Morra Arrons-Mele, author of The Anxious Achiever, about dealing with AI anxiety!

For those of you looking to play big in your writing life, you won’t want to miss this episode with Jennie Nash, book coach extraordinaire, about the journey we took together in developing Wise Effort the book! Writing can feel pretty wild at times, and it’s not far from chasing chickens!

I’m off to Washington, D.C. this week for ACT Bootcamp with Steven Hayes, Miranda Morris, and Robyn Walser. I’ll be posting on social media every day. Follow me on LinkedIn to get my updates!

Finally, if you want to jumpstart your change, join me in Costa Rica for a Wise Effort retreat. It’s selling out, and you don’t want to miss this opportunity to do that thing you know you have always wanted to do! Take the leap!

Dr. Diana Hill Your Wise Effort Guide

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