If there is no struggle, there is no progress. ~ Frederick Douglass
Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. ~ Keri Russell
We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. ~ Harrison Ford
When you are through changing you are through. ~ Bruce Barton
It doesn’t matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go. ~ Bob Proctor
In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks. ~ Warren Buffett
There’s been lots written about change. I guess that’s because so many of us struggle with it. We get comfortable sometimes with the way things are. Even if we’re not happy with things, at least we know them. That can be a lot less scary than taking the plunge into the unknown. But at what cost?
Sometimes it can seem like we’re stuck like an insect on sticky tape. No matter what we do, we feel stuck. It can seem futile to keep on trying. And so, we give up.
Other times people give us advice about changing this or changing that in our lives. When you don’t ask for opinions, it’s pretty frustrating to get them, even if it’s well-intentioned. It’s good the way things are,…right?
What about those situations you keep fixing that keep coming back in different variations to bite you. Like the relationship you’ve been working and working on but never seems to stay the way you want it to. Or the boss that you keep trying to impress by doing exactly what he asks only to have him shift the goal post?
In a past blog, I wrote about change and introduced Prochasta and diClemente’s Stages of Change Model. They have some interesting ideas about change. Where do you think you are?
I also wrote about procrastination and how difficult it can be to get started.
Beating Procrastination: Creating Change Now
I’ve written about creating goals to get started, about using inspiration, about keeping trying despite obstacles, and about maintaining your goals:
Passion and Desire Create Fertile Ground for Goals
Using Relaxation and Visualization to Reach Your Goals
Adversity: An Invitation to Great Things
Giving up the I’m Too Old Excuse re Goals
The bottom line is you have to be ready. What’s it going to take for you to feel like you are ready to take the plunge?
Wanting to change certainly helps. But it’s not enough. Maybe the law of attraction idea helps. That’s when you focus your thoughts on what you want versus what you don’t want. But that’s not enough for most of us.
Feeling passionate about the changes you want to make can make a big difference. But even that may not be enough.
I wish I could say you just have to do X to get what you want. A quick, easy, and simple solution would be great wouldn’t it?
By now you may be thinking. “Just tell me what the damn answer is!”
The bottom line is you have to be ready to put the work into making the change you want. Change happens all the time. But to make it focused change, change that actually makes a difference, you have to focus on what you’re going to do to make it happen and do it. And do it again. And figure out how to do it differently if that’s what you need to do. Readiness to change: are you there yet?
