Change is Hard

By Warren Wong

Have you ever thought about change? Change is hard. I remember making so many new years resolutions that I quickly forgot the following month. I made one just so I had something to say when friends or family would ask what mine was.

There wasn’t a lot of thought put behind it, and there was nothing holding me to it. Nothing to keep me accountable.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about change and what drives change, and what prevents it. Shining a lens on my own life, I’d like to share a few insights.

Here are my top 5 insights on why change is hard.

Change takes time

It’s a little-known fact that anything worthwhile usually takes a lot of time. It’s not something you can easily put on your to-do list today, and cross off before you go to bed.

Whether it’s getting into that dream school or company or kicking a bad habit, it usually takes a solid plan and a whole lot of follow-through.

And of course, there are a lot of bumps and obstacles along the road.

So, be easy on yourself. Take small concrete steps towards your goals, knowing that you will face obstacles, have bad days, and may even need to take time away from it all.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Instant gratification

We are too used to having everything at the tip of our fingers. There’s an app for everything. Social media highlight reels tout seemingly overnight successes.

From clicking ‘submit order’ to next-day shipping, it is easy to lose sight of the work required behind the scenes.

Behind each delivery, there is a person trying to make ends meet. And next-day shipping requires an enormous logistical pipeline needed to be maintained around the clock.

Be aware that good things take time and effort.

Set in our ways

As we get older, we tend to accumulate more habits, good and bad.

It takes conscious effort to change. An inspirational speech or ringing in the new year with half-baked promises usually proves ineffective.

Change can happen today. It takes no special occasion or epiphany to spark change.

Change calls for uncomfortable conversations, discipline, and strict accountability. None of these sounds fun, but are crucial in making lasting change.

Between feeling comfortable and strategic sacrifice lies a balanced solution.

Ego

Why do we feel freer to be our true selves when we travel?

When we travel we take off our masks. Masks we put up at work, at home, with our friends.

Our ego prevents us from quitting our jobs and pursuing a career we are more passionate about or better suited for. What will my parents say? Will my friends think I’m a loser?

Change is hard because we are held back by pressures conscious or subconscious.

Worrying about what others think with no way to influence how they think is incredibly harmful to change. Learn to think for yourself, and choose the path best for you, not for others.

Excuses

A wise man once said, “I don’t want a thousand excuses, I want one result”.

Change is hard because we make so many excuses. When we learn to prioritize we can make a change.

If you have 10 priorities in your life, you need to cut down to 3 to 5 at a maximum. When you have to decide your top priorities, do your goals fall into that group of top priorities, or has something else taken its place?

Making real change requires focus. It’s like trying to cut down a tree by chopping at different places. It won’t work. But, if you consistently chop at the same place, you will bring down the tree much faster, with less effort.

Conclusion

Making change is hard. Lasting change is even harder. Take time to think through these 5 areas of time, instant gratification, our current ways, our ego, and our excuses.

Identify the root cause of why we aren’t making progress. Tackle those problems with a strategy of awareness and accountability.

Lastly, be kind to yourself. Change is hard.