Where has the year gone!!! Time flies when you’re having fun…even when you’re not having fun actually.

Maybe each year is a bit too much the same as the previous one. Maybe we want some change.

We all want progress.  This is the idea behind new year resolutions.

It’s certainly a good start. To have any progress in our life, the best thing is to articulate the changes we want into one or more specific(s)  goal(s). Just thinking vaguely about changes will not bring them about. We will forget them in an instant. Just the same as we won’t  retain information by reading it once in a hurry.
We may resolve to go regularly to the gym, to start eating healthy, replace some bad habit with a good one,start our own business, etc… But then…

A few days or -depending on level of commitment – maybe weeks after our resolve, goals often fade away amidst the relentless pressures of life.

Our motivation dwindles, is soon overtaken by resistance and we go back to automatic pilot. This is a fact of life.

There are things to do to prevent this. They involve being clear about our goal(s), renewing our commitment to them and using some tricks to keep them at the forefront of our mind. I’ve posted about this here and also here.

But today, let’s have a quick look under the bonnet, find out some of the science behind why change is so freaking hard.

First, will power as we know it is not enough to see changes through. Just like retaining new information in our memory requires us to read it several times, we have to consciously remind ourselves of our goal and the reason for it regurlarly. Let Epipheo explain to you here why in under 3 minutes.

Secondly, the process of change requires more from us in the initial stages. Thankfully,  it gets easier soon. Robin Sharma uses a brief analogy to explain why in 30 seconds.

Finally, watch Peak Performance coach Todd Herman describe  what is happening at the cellular level whenever we decide to change. This interview is a little on the long side (25 minutes), but full of gems.

To recap,  change is a daily process, at least at first. It requires us to recommit regurlarly. The resistance and discomfort that we experience aren’t signs that the change is too hard to implement. It’s just that our cells are vibrating at a different speed as they take on board the new information we are feeding them.

We need to stick with it, go through the pain barrier. Our breakthrough is just on the other side.

So…

What do you think about all of this? Do you have other insights on how to embrace change and make it stick?

Let me know in the comments!

Reflect, Redefine, Rise!

R