"How do you know it's time to change?… Change when you've outgrown something. Change when there's no hope. Change because you choose to. Change because it's fun. Change because you want to gain awareness of who you truly are. Change because you have to. Change because everything changes, for better or for worse. Why change? Why not? You've been doing it all your life."
– Robin L. Silverman
Good morning and Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend!
I have a terrific article on "Creating Life Change" to share with you today by author Robin Silverman. Robin's books include: "The Ten Gifts: Find the Personal Peace You've Always Wanted Through the Ten Gifts You've Always Had" and "Something Wonderful Is about to Happen: True Stories of People Who Found Happiness in Unexpected Places."
Enjoy! ♥
"Creating Life Change"
by Robin Silverman
I once attended a workshop led by a psychologist who wanted to teach us why people have trouble making changes. He asked each of us to choose a partner and look at what our partner was wearing. Once we had memorized this, we were to turn around and make five changes to our own appearance. The audience immediately started removing external things like blazers, sweaters, shoes, socks, belts, watches, earrings, glasses and hats.
Next, the facilitator asked us to make 10 more changes to our appearance. At this point, many of the men in the room sat down, and so did some of the women. Finally, in what seemed like a ridiculous request, he asked us to make 15 more changes to our appearance. In less than one minute, no one was left standing.“I didn’t tell you to take off your clothes,” he said. “I said to make changes to your appearance.” He walked over to one of the men and held out his own watch. “Want to swap for a few minutes?” Then he went to the podium and picked up a piece of paper. “Voila! Another change to my appearance,” he announced.
“There are over 200 people in this room,” he said. “We could have kept this game going all day. All you had to do was keep swapping things, picking up or putting things down. There were actually an infinite number of changes you could have made to your appearance.”
He continued. “But you just experienced why people don’t make changes. To most people, change equals some kind of loss, not gain. That’s why they resist it.”
I always tell this story when I facilitate leadership programs having to do with change, particularly those that precede or follow some kind of profound change over which the participants may or may not have control. Once I have presented it, I ask my groups to give me at least 20 reasons why people don’t change, and I write them on a flip chart. You probably know them:
1) It’s easier to keep things as they are.
2) If it isn’t broken, why fix it?
3) Change is expensive.
4) Change takes time.
5) Change takes you out of your comfort zone.
6) Change can be embarrassing.
7) Change involves risk.
8) There’s no guarantee that things will be better if you do it.
9) Change is difficult.
10) Change requires effort.
11) Change redefines who you are.
12) Change involves giving up something.
13) Change usually involves the unknown.
14) Once you do it, it’s hard to go back to the way things were.
15) Once you start changing, it’s hard to know when to stop.
16) People may not like you if you change.
17) You might not like yourself if you change.
18) Rapid change is too startling; slow change is too painful.
19) Change affects more than just you.
20) Sustaining change is difficult…
Click Here to Continue Reading "Creating Life Change"
Copyright Robin Silverman. All Rights Reserved.
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Wishing you a wonderful day!
Soulfully,
Valerie
