What is the scariest thing to you? Everyone is different: clowns, heights, swimming, and the list goes on. However, the real fear resides in the background: the fear of the unknown. That is really where it comes down to. If we knew everything about an object or subject, we wouldn’t have anything to be afraid of. Knowledge is power.
Unfortunately, you can’t know everything, and the future is not available for us to see until we get there. You are left with only two choices: take the plunge or do nothing. When it comes to personal change, there is little difference. We are scared to change because we don’t know the outcome. Just like our ancestors being scared of a wild animal, we too are scared of what might or might not happen.
What can someone do about it? The personal change and growth industry is a multimillion dollar industry. With everything from books to seminars, self help has been on everybody’s mind. However, most think that change has to be a grand event, like a message from heaven, but that is not what we see. It isn’t that big change doesn’t need to happen. Rather, it is that individuals rarely pull off big shifts in lifestyle and habits. However, all is not lost.
Although it is true that change rarely happens in such a momentous way, small changes occur all the time. In fact, making small changes are great in eventually producing massive change. The secret resides in consistency or habit. The more you do an action, the more your brain and body expect it. In fact, you can change habits in as little as 21 days! Your brain will actually change in order to cement the pattern.
So what changes can you make? Let’s take fitness for example. Instead of focusing on losing 100 pounds, focus on walking for 30 minutes. What about business? Maybe you could give 30 minutes to following up with leads. These don’t seem like big changes but a lot of little changes will lead to massive change.
In conclusion, you can’t expect massive change to happen overnight. It is fun to think about, but rarely does it ever happen. Instead, invest a little bit of time every day to create patterns that will help you create massive change down the road. I believe you'll find that the real win is in taking small consistent steps towards big scary goals.
