Lifestyle change is hard.
Our brain is addicted. Yours is. Mine is. Everyone’s is. We’re addicted to doing things the same. And changing anything significant is likely to make your brain want to SCREAM!
And yet sometimes a change is necessary. Perhaps you know it’s necessary, but can’t seem to get it done. It’s easier to say, “Why bother?”
Something has to push you to make that first step. And the next one. And the next one.
Finding that reason to change may be the most important step in the whole process.
I know a mom who quit smoking when she narrowly escaped burning her baby with her cigarette. I know a wife who entered rehab for prescription drug abuse when she lost her marriage because of her addiction. I know a dad who quit using smokeless tobacco when his son got old enough to start asking him why he did that.
Countless people have gotten out of debt, lost weight, stopped smoking, saved their marriage, ended an addiction, learned to manage their anger, and made a whole host of other difficult changes because they found a reason big enough to go through the anxiety, discomfort, and sometimes even trauma of doing so.
What’s your reason? What would be a big enough reason for you to change? Here are only a few possibilities:
- You are hurting someone you love by not changing
- Your health is forcing you to change
- You will lose an important relationship if you don’t change
- The pain of remaining where you are is too great
- Your desire for the benefits of change overcome the resistance to change
It’s OK to “use” someone else as the reason, at least initially. Someone you love can be a powerful motivator to go through the difficult steps of a tough change. Hopefully that will only be the beginning, and as you progress, you’ll want it more and more yourself.
My husband tells me he would not have stopped smoking if it hadn’t been for me. He wants to be around long enough to enjoy life together, and that provided him the motivation to quit. I’m grateful I could be helpful, but I’m most grateful he did the tough work of quitting!
If you know you need to make a change in any part of your lifestyle, it won’t happen until you find a big enough reason to push you to change. Take the time to think through what that reason is, and you’ll be much more successful.
Your turn: What do you need to change? What is your “big enough” reason? Can you get some help along the way? I’d love to hear from you!
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