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Why Is Change So Hard?

Why is it so hard to change? We all want to do it.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have one or two things about ourselves that we want to change. It’s human nature to want to grow, to get better, to be the best you can be. When we see others on television who seem to have it all, it’s only natural to suffer from a case of the “Boy I wishes.” Who doesn’t want more money and a better body? Rich and pretty sounds good to me!

Every time I spend an afternoon browsing a local bookstore I inevitably find myself carousing the shelves of the self-improvement aisles. Not just an aisle, but several of them, loaded with manuscripts by people who want to help me become a better me. People who, unlike me, I am assuming, have figured out what need they to change in order to get what they want from life and actually go about making it happen.

Anyone who watches afternoon television knows that on any given day, the channels are overloaded with a host of hosts who are talking some person, couple or family through a crisis. A crisis that apparently could have been avoided if someone had elected to “change.”

Most people who seek change have good intentions. They really want to better their lives. They really have good reason to make a few changes here or there. After all, anyone who actually buys the books listens to the 30-day CD program or even writes a letter to the advice column of their favorite magazine has every intention of making their efforts stick. Right? They are excited about every new insight into their personalities. They are thrilled to finally find the potential answers to what has hindered their ability to make lasting change so far. They can’t wait to meet the future improved version of themselves that has been hidden for so long.

Who wouldn’t be excited about showing off the new body that they are going to have in just a few short weeks? (3 months tops!) I would be excited too if in just 30 days I would have the key to unleashing the power within. I‘ve been there, I’ve felt the accelerated heart beat indicating the excitement about all of the “good” that I would be able to do with my new organized life. The list of potential accomplishments goes on and on. Who knows, if I keep this up, I will probably end up being interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show after she reads and loves the book I’m going to write. Heck, I could end up running for public office if I don’t slow down.

But that’s exactly what happens next. The slow-down.

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