Why we struggle to change

You have set new goals on New Year’s Eve. Maybe you want to loose weight. Get really fit. Or you want to wake up at five o'clock every morning to meditate, read to improve your mind AND workout, as many successful people seem to swear by. Goal setting is super fun. This year is when it’s all going to happen.

Come March and how are things? We have all been there, right? Brave new plans have filtered down to…nothing. Not only have we failed to achieve our goals. Worse is that we ourselves feel like a failure as well.

Why do we struggle to implement changes in life?

One of the obstacles to change is a lack of clarity. We know we want or need to change but don’t know where or in what direction. When we understand what it is we want, we then need to create a clear direction, to make a plan. Because without a plan our dreams are just a wish.

It is also helpful to have a vision, a bigger picture for your life. A vision defines your deepest desires for your life. It outlines your why for everything you do. That will keep you motivated no matter what. Here you will have to dig deep to find your why. It might not be what you initially may think but you will find your strongest motivations.

Another reason is that we want to change for the wrong reasons or that we don’t take our own reality into account. We are too easily enthralled by a vision borrowed from someone else’s dream of the perfect life. Take the example of the 5 o’clock routine. Maybe you are more of a night owl? As person who has difficulty getting started in the morning, the 5 o’clock routine is bound to be an extremely difficult way to change your life so drastically, in a short time. You’ll have to take what it is you want from this routine and execute it in your own way, so it becomes a supportive habit. Make it really yours.

There is a huge amount of scientific explanation as to why change is so difficult for us. The cerebellum in your brain would rather you continue to repeat the past, because it’s kept you alive thus far, and it’s very familiar and comfortable. The prefrontal cortex is your long-term planning, goal setting, forward-thinking part of your brain. Whenever you decide to make a change in your life, it takes effort to make the change, as the cerebellum part of your brain prefers to avoid pain and rather keep things the same.

Planning and keeping commitments to yourself takes dedication, time, and practice, but it is so worth it.

Change is a part of life and improving your mindset is the first step to create the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Photo by Henry Tuchez on Unsplash