Challenges to making changes

If we expect to see changes, we need to make changes. The actions and behaviors directly affect the results that we get. Results will remain the same unless actions are changed. In fact, the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior but expecting a different result. So, why are we all in sane? Actually, we are not all insane, but one may wonder when you think about the things we voluntarily do to our bodies. I have broken down a few of the reasons for our challenges in this article:

Fear of change itself
Change can be a very frightening thing. Change means effort and perhaps some discomfort. Change means doing things that you are not used to doing, or at least doing things differently. Sometimes just the thought of doing something outside of the routine can be enough to make you shutter. Is this because it is so terrible? No, it is because we are not used to it and therefore, are unsure of the outcome. That leads us into the next reason we struggle with change:

Lack of confidence to change
It is difficult to even attempt a change if we are unsure that it can be accomplished. If you set out to do something, it is easier if you have done it before. It is much easier if you have done it successfully before. I often ask clients what their confidence level is to reach a certain goal. If it is too low, we will look further into that and actually change the goal in many cases. This shows the importance of setting realistic goals. Our next reason for challenges comes when your goals are unrealistic for you:

Unrealistic or general goals
If we don’t set goals for ourselves, it can be very difficult to reach them. We all know certain things about diet and exercise, but we have to be striving to reach things that we see ourselves doing. If you set out to run a marathon this year, I would hope that you had been running for a while and were comfortable increasing your distance to 26.2 miles soon. Many people simply pull goals out of a hat and say that they will accomplish them. I like the spirit, but if your not specifically motivated and equipped to reach a goal, it is the wrong goal for you. Later, I will get into more detail about goal setting and we will discuss this area further.

We’ve discussed three challenges to making changes. While they may not be the only challenges, they are significant. They are likely to affect your routine, but can be overcome with determination, planning and support. You’ve got to have the determination to change your actions. You’ve got to plan the proper routine and set realistic goals. You also need support around you to hold you accountable. Once you can put that together, you can accomplish any goal and make any change you set out to make.