Why is it so hard to change?

If change is as good as a holiday, then why do so many of us struggle with it? Even when we know that making a particular change is for the best, it's still hard to commit to the process. For many of us, change is an inconvenience - we need to put in the effort to get the results. Even when we understand the benefits of making a change though, there still seems to be something standing in our way. This something is the fear of the unknown and our ability to cope with this unknown in the future. When we're not sure of how we're going to get from the old habit to the new habit, we become concerned and doubt our ability, particularly if there is a strong chance of failure.

Working as a health professional, I motivate and empower people to make changes every day. I assess their readiness to change, help them weigh up the pros and cons for changing, assist them in setting achievable goals and help them overcome barriers along the way. With so much of my work focused on empowering people to make positive changes, you would think I would excel at making my own changes. Yet knowing the theory and actually putting it into practice doesn't always seem to correlate. The change I need to make isn't about health and wellbeing (that I haven't any problem with), it's about taking the steps to create my business.

Just like many of my clients, I know want needs to be done, but the gap between knowing and putting the wheels into motion, just doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. Even when I know what needs to be done, I still find myself struggling to commit the time to do the things I know need to be done. This happens to more people than just me. So why?

From my point of view, I believe that one of the biggest reasons people choose not to change is because they fall victim to the temptation of instant gratification, which blurbs their bigger picture. Instead of making the choices that make our day-to-day lives more enjoyable, we need to commit the time and effort to working towards our long-term goals that have more meaning. We need to spend more time planning what we really want to achieve in life, commit to the process and then make it happen. Change may make you feel uncomfortable, but if you embrace it, your dreams just may come true. Even if they don't, you're bound to achieve something just as rewarding.