Here’s something you may not know about me: I read at least 20 pages of a book that teaches me something every day.

That means I get through quite a few books in a year.

The one I recently picked up is very relevant to this time of year – it’s called How We Change, and, while it discusses how we make changes in our lives, it does so in an interesting way – by exploring the reasons why we DON’T change.

For me, and probably for you, this is extremely relevant at this time of year.

We’ve created goals, thought about the person we want to be (i.e. how we want to change), and we’ve already started that gargantuan fight to overcome the resistance that pushes against us almost immediately after getting started.

Today, I didn’t want to talk to you about how to overcome that resistance, I just want to give you the 10 reasons the author came up with to explain why we resist change so strongly (my hope is that simply being aware of these things will help you overcome them).

Here is the list:

1. Staying the same protects you from awareness of your aloneness and sole accountability for your own life.

2. Staying the same protects you from the accountability for “what’s next.”

3. Staying the same protects you from the unknown.

4. Staying the same protects you from your own expectations.

5. Staying the same protects you from the expectations of others.

6. Staying the same protects you from seeing where you are.

7. Staying the same protects you from the insult of small steps.

8. Staying the same protects a monument to your pain.

9. Staying the same protects you from changing your relationship with others.

10. Staying the same protects you from changing your relationship with yourself.

Wow. Just writing that was pretty heavy for me.

Any of those hit home for you?

If you say no, you’re lying.

In any event, my message today is simple: just begin to be aware of these things tugging you back to your safe place as you embark on your 2022 journey.

It’s okay to feel all of these things – it’s not okay to succumb to them.

More to come in future newsletters…

Cheers.

Christopher Small
Owner
CMS Law Firm LLC