True Change Happens From the Inside

Have you ever said that you’re going to lose 10 pounds and then you can’t seem to make it happen?  Or, have you ever said that you wanted to stop a habit like watching so much TV yet the change just doesn’t show up in your life?  I get it.  Change can be hard and sometimes seemingly impossible.  It doesn’t have to be.  When you dig a little deeper behind what’s holding you back, then that change can begin to appear in your life.  True change starts on the inside.

We all have habits that we would like to change.  We all face challenges when we try to bring that change into our lives.  Some of us are successful and some of us not so much.  So, what’s the difference?

The difference is in how someone approaches change.  If they try to make it happen from the outside, then that change is less likely to happen.  However, if that change begins on the inside, then that change has a greater chance of working out.

I’m no different than you when it comes to change.  Here’s just one example that comes from my own life.

Now that I don’t have to drive a kid to school anymore (Woohoo!!!), I stay up later at night.  I’m a night owl at heart, so this is really easy for me to do.  The problem lies in the fact that when I stay up later, I don’t want to get up earlier in the morning.  This means that if I have an earlier client or meeting, I’m tired from staying up so late.

The solution seems so easy.  Just go to bed earlier right?  However, it’s not that simple.  There was a mindset shift that happened when my son left for school.   You see, I don’t HAVE to get up early so my mind/body are happy to shift into a more natural routine.

Even though I can see the benefits of going to bed at an earlier hour, I’m resistant to doing so.  Each and every time that I say I’m going to bed even 30-60 minutes earlier, it doesn’t happen.  I resist this change because a part of me is just fine as it is.

Thus, in order to shift my schedule, I have to shift my mindset.  Simply having someone else tell me to go to bed earlier is not going to do anything, but if I dig a little deeper into what is holding me back from going to bed earlier, I can then clear a pattern that isn’t really helping me.

Similarly, when you are trying to lose those 10 pounds that your doctor keeps asking you to lose, unless you uncover the deeper reason behind why you put on the weight in the first place, then you’re not going to be successful in losing the weight & keeping it off.

You have to dig a little deeper to understand why the habit is there in the first place and why it’s benefiting you currently.  While you’re doing this, the change that is happening won’t necessarily be visible to others.  However, it’s still happening.  True change comes from inside and then moves outward so that others can eventually see it too.

This type of change is lasting and makes a difference in your life.  It’s not always easy to accomplish but it is so satisfying when you do.

Next time you have a habit that you want to change, ask yourself why you started it in the first place.  Connect to your own body and inner wisdom to understand why you’re still doing this habit and then begin to create a path forward that will take you to the change that you seek.  Start your change on the inside and then watch how it changes you on the outside too!