Readiness or willpower – what really directs change?

Well hello again and welcome back to the ABTY Blog,

Today’s post is short and sweet and inspired by two things:

1. A great quote I read recently

2. My own enquiries into affecting change

But first to the quote:

It’s not that some people have will power and some don’t

It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not

James Gordon

Kaboom – there you have it.

For whatever reason, some people are simply not ready to change.

So if you are currently struggling to bring about some sort of change in your life and you find yourself saying: “I just don’t have the will power” – take a step back and reassess the situation, as the truth could simply be that you are not ready to change.

And if that is the case – the the next question is pretty simple – why?

What is it about the change that scares you?

What are you holding onto to?

What does the current state of affairs bring you that change may not?

For example:

If you are ill and wanting to get better – perhaps you perceive that getting better means you will no longer have your friends and family member’s sympathy and constant attention and you have pitched your whole identity around being sick

If you are unemployed and want to get a job – perhaps you perceive that getting a job will put you under too much stress and pressure to perform and you feel safer staying at home

If you are overweight and want to get slimmer – perhaps you are scared of men and relationships for some reason and losing weight will make you more attractive and you are not wanting to deal with having to interact with someone of the opposite sex in an intimate way

If you are a smoker and want to quit – perhaps you don’t want to give up that “alone time” each day where you get to relax and just chill out and fear that without smoking you won’t have that anymore

If you want to change your career – perhaps you are not ready to show your friends and family what it is that you are really interested in for fear of being ridiculed, so you’d rather just stay where you are

In all these cases you can see how the will power may indeed be there – but first of all you need to be ready.

You have to be ready to embrace the new situation.

You have to be ready to launch the new you.

You have to be ready to take on the new challenge.

Once you are ready – the will power will most likely kick in with no problems at all.

So I think in many situations, it is a case of putting the cart before the horse. Trying to run down the paddock before you have committed to the race. It just won’t work.

So – I say to you today. If you are having difficulties with changes that you are wanting to make to your life, instead of forcing the issue, stop and ask yourself – am I ready?

Simply sit in stillness and ask yourself: Am I ready to do this?

If the answer is yes – then get on with it and go for gold!

If the answer is no – then ask why?

Why am I not ready for this?

Once you know why you are not ready, you can most likely address that underlying issue and then…….once that readiness is found  - the will power can kick in and you will most likely be home and hosed [ whatever that means ha ha ha ]

As James Gordon states so eloquently in the quote above: it’s not the will power that’s lacking – but rather the readiness to embrace change.

And on that note, I leave you to ponder and find your way to You

#DiscoverYou, #LoveYou, #BeYou

Christine