[Journal] Why It’s Hard For People To Change
I’ve spent the better part of the last year talking about all the ways I want to change. I want to exercise more, to eat better, to accomplish the things I do want to do and to stop wasting so much time with filler activities like messing around online or playing video games.
Unfortunately, I’ve gotten so used to TELLING myself what I want to do that I’m having a hard time getting started now that I’ve run out of excuses.
I think a big part of the problem is momentum — as Newton told us, and I’m paraphrasing, objects in motion tend to stay in motion, while objects at rest tend to sit around and feel their butts grow bigger. It’s really easy to make changes if you get some momentum behind changing your life. But it’s really hard to do it when you’re starting from nothing. Getting that first shove so you’re in motion is difficult, and it requires a major force (either through your own willpower or some life event) to make the change start to occur.
Another problem comes in the form of habits. We develop habits because they help us to sort of hardwire our behavior into our brains — to allow us to think less and go on autopilot more. Unfortunately, some habits aren’t very good for us, and some activities we get involved in are actually bad habits. But it’s hard to change a habit. I’ve been trying to ditch the fingernail biting for years with no luck. I don’t like chewing on my fingernails, but I think, deep down, that I’m comfortable with it. It’s hard for me to change because I find some comfort in knowing that it’s my way, even if it’s not a particularly GOOD way.
So, what I need to do are the following things:
1) Get some momentum going behind the areas where I do want to change.
2) Understand that if I want to change habits in my life, I have to do so by rejecting the hardwired response and building new pathways instead.
3) Stop being complacent about being comfortable with “my ways”.
-SJJ
Journal, Non-Fiction | SeanJJordan | 
January 17, 2010 10:42 pm
1 Comment
Other Links to this Post
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Subscribe
By Beth Berg, January 18, 2010 @ 9:05 am
After finishing gradaute school, I found that it was much easier to pursue my personal goals, which were similar to yours (exercise, eat better, etc.) Just think of all the free time you have now compared to a few months ago!
Goals are great, but developing a strategy for reaching your goals, which includes daily or weekly landmarks, such as, “I will eat five fruits and vegetables today,” or “I will go running for a total of 120 minutes this week,” will give you a greater feeling of accomplishment and help you maintain motivation for the long term.