Do You Have Fear of Creating Change?

I remember searching for a new apartment when I was in my thirties. I buzzed the manager suite at a building that looked promising. An older gentleman wearing a ubiquitous, plaid housecoat shuffled out to greet me. When I asked if there were any vacancies in his building, he replied, “Nope, people stay here ‘til they die.” Resisting the urge to ask the next obvious, cheeky, follow-up question, I wished him a good day and carried on with my quest. Sounds like there was a lot of fear of change in that building!

“If you change nothing, nothing will change.” – Tony Robbins

Do you have fear of creating change? This man in the housecoat summed up how difficult it is to fight the inertia in our lives to create change for ourselves. If we surrender to our fear of change, there’s a good chance that we’ll remain in our situation indefinitely.

“Change is never easy, but always possible.” – Barack Obama

I’m well acquainted with the fear of getting started on a new life chapter. Fear of judgement, failure and rejection seem eager to tell us “I told you so” if our self-imposed change doesn’t work out. So, how do you press forward?

Self-compassion, patience and perseverance will help you create change.

When you are trying to change a habit or embark on a new endeavour, accept that it’s going to be a challenge. Be sure to have plenty of patience and self-compassion on hand to keep you going. Even if you’re excited about your goal, getting there will require a lot of hard work and dedication.

If you feel like giving up, take a break, but don’t quit!

Fear of change is real and normal. When you decide to create change, your discomfort continues until the new way becomes your new normal. Until you reach that point, understand that your discomfort is a sign that you’re taking courageous first steps to creating your future.

What would you like to change in your life?

Image by airdone (iStock)