Each new year people get fired up about making changes: setting resolutions, personal goals, business goals, etc. But the interesting thing is, the majority never achieve their goals to change or transform. Why is that?
Two of the main reasons people don’t change is because they are either not fully willing to change or they are not going about making change in a smart way.
Now that being said, you may already be thinking about the reasons why you haven’t made certain changes in your life up to this point. So stick with me and just have an open mind about what I’m going to say, because I’m not here to point fingers. I’ve been guilty of not making changes at times too. But what I am here for, is to help you make this year different… to help you have success when it comes to making transformational changes in your life.
The truth is, if you were really driven to change what you say you want to change, then you’d do it. There’d be NOTHING to get in your way. And I’m sure you’ve experienced times when that’s been the case. But the fire in your gut to make the change must be stronger then the fear in your head that keeps you from it. And that is where most people fall short. They are afraid that the change will be painful and they just aren’t willing to experience that, so consequently, they aren’t fully willing to change. They focus on the potential losses or perceived pain of change rather then all they can gain from it. Long story short, most of these fears come from the expectations we have about the change and the unknown, potential untruths we create in our heads. It’s our ego’s way to keep us safe (and consequently… stuck).
So, a key step towards making lasting changes this year is for you to change your mind. Change the way you think about change!
I am a firm believer that the way we think about things can have a huge impact on our success. I believe that if you can change your mind then you can change your life. That’s the premise for the Masterful Mindset quotes I send to your inbox every Monday and basically the concept behind this action I’m giving you. If you change how you think about change it can make all the difference.
What I mean is that if you think about change and fear comes to mind as is the case for so many people, then you will subconsciously suppress the desire or drive for change. And consequently get stuck – wondering what happened to your ambition and dreams before you even know what hit you. So it’s imperative that you change the way you think about it. And here’s the thing, Brendan Burchard says in his book,The Charge and I agree, “It’s not really change we fear. In reality we usually welcome change. It’s the expectation of change that we really fear.” See, it’s in the unknown of what change will or won’t bring that really scares the hell out of us. And you know how I feel about expectations! They trip us up repeatedly and it is no different in the expectation of change. This is where the fear of change comes from and this is one of the biggest factors in why people don’t succeed at change.
Many believe that change goes hand in hand with pain. They are afraid it will be a painful process to change. Or that they’ll put all their effort into it but the outcome won’t be any different or maybe it’ll even be worse, so they are scared to give it their all. Or maybe they fear that they’ll have to give up something in order for things to change. But that’s not always true. These thoughts come from the expectations they’ve created. So if you find yourself with these same thoughts, then it’s time to change your thinking.
So I’ll say it again, a key step towards making lasting transformational changes this year is to shift how you think about change. And to do that, I have two action steps that I want to challenge you to implement.
- Shift the expectation that change is hard. Change does not have to be hard. As a matter of fact, sometimes, staying where you are is much more difficult then changing. So find a truth statement that you can believe in. Maybe it’s, “Change can be easy!” or “The change will be worth it.” Whatever your truth statement is, repeat it every time the negative though comes to mind.
- The second action steps you can take towards shifting your mindset is to shift what you focus on. Instead of focusing on the things you’ll lose, focus on what you’ll gain. Doing this will create not only a positive outlook but boost your motivation to continue.
Give it a try the next time fear creeps up and you’re ready to give up on those resolutions…
Next article, I’ll be diving deeper into the process of change and how to go about change in a smart way so you can succeed at whatever changes you are desiring to make this year. But until then, I wish you the best with your transformation.