Tweet

WHY CHANGE DOESN'T HAPPEN

Written by: Jonathan Payne

Article Overview: While so many people seek to become more effective, more successful and more fulfilled, so few actually take the steps to implement the necessary change? Why? In this article Jonathan Payne explores on of the primary reasons for change not happening.

WHY CHANGE DOESN'T HAPPEN

Why do so many people want to change, develop better habits, become more effective and live more successful lives – and yet fail to do so?

A top class trainer and facilitator I know spoke to me about the concerns she had about making a real difference in the way people behave in the workplace. Anyone who is involved in personal and organizational development shares similar concerns. Despite all the training so many people are exposed to, very few seem to actually take the new skills or understandings and implement them.

The problem is not that the people who are on the programmes don’t find anything of value. Feedback from almost any development programme reveals that the participants were challenged, moved and motivated to implement effective strategies back at the office. But the reality is that that enthusiasm usually doesn’t translate into real change. Once back in the workplace the old habits and attitudes take over and things return to what they were before. It’s not unlike the fate of so many New Year’s resolutions. We want to change and do better, but we don’t. Why?

The truth is that no one else can change you. A motivational speaker cannot motivate you, a change consultant cannot change you and a teacher cannot teach you. All change must come from within. The best that other people can do is expose you to the opportunities and resources available to assist you on the journey. Whether or not you make use of those opportunities and resources depends entirely on you. It is very easy to accept motivation, change and learning at an intellectual level, but unless it passes to an emotional level, to a level where it becomes part of who we are, the will and ability to change soon burns off. It is unfortunate that so much training today is a “tick in the box” process. We attend courses, receive our certificates, tick the box saying we have been there, and move on without assimilating the new thinking and attitudes into our living. It remains at a superficial, intellectual level where it will soon be lost. For change to take effect, the learning must move from the head to the heart, or as a friend of mine used to say, “from the nut to the gut”.

So, what prevents that move from taking place? There are probably many reasons, but in my years of working with people I have found that one of the most common factors preventing real growth is that most people do not believe that it is worth investing in their own lives. In short, they do not love themselves. I have become convinced that unless a person learns to love themselves, all further progress in terms of development of that life is blocked. The constant return to old habits which hinder effectiveness is in reality a statement which says that they do not believe their life is worth working on, investing in and improving.

When we love someone we believe that they are valuable, that they are worthy of our respect and that it is wonderful to be with them and spend time with them. We don’t find it too difficult to think of other people in those terms. The key to our own development is to also see ourselves in those terms. In other words we need to believe that we are valuable and worth investing in. We need to respect ourselves, our goals and aspirations and work at achieving them without giving up. We need to believe that we are wonderful to be with, and invest time in ourselves for our own good.

With that mindset, we will take the resources and opportunities given to us and see them as investments in ourselves. If you are exposed to skills, insights and inspirations in training interventions and you believe they will really make a positive contribution to your life, be selfish enough to make them part of your living. You have to really believe in yourself and your value, in other words love yourself, if you are to overcome the natural slide back into negative habits and attitudes. The work and home environment is cluttered with temptations to carry on as usual. It takes an effort to fight against that force of gravity pulling you down and to create real, positive change for yourself. You can only do that if you believe that you are worth it, if you love yourself. Real change does not take place at an intellectual level fed from the outside. It takes place at an emotional interior level when the person loves themselves enough to want to change.

Related Articles
  Get better results from email newsletters and promotional emails
  An Unfair Edge ? Offer Customer Financing At No Cost To Your Company! A Financial Program Via Canadian Vendor Leasing Works
  Make it Happen!
  13 key reasons why most change programs fail
  How Quickly Can Your Financial Life Change

Article Tags: attitudes, certificates, change consultant, class trainer, emotional level, fate, intellectual level, journey, motivation, motivational speaker, new thinking, new year, old habits, organizational development, participants, resolutions, tick, truth, understandings, value feedback



Related Forum Posts
Hunter or Farmer - Born, Bred or Both? - Hello everyone, As a sales recruiter, I meet a variety of sales personalities day in and day out. Recently, I met with one candidate who I would characterize as a "Farmer" i.e. wants to work with exisiting accounts, no cold calling, no prospecting but great customer service, follow up and upselling skills. He was having a hard time finding his next role and he asked about a Business Development role we had - a Hunter role i.e. cold calling, aggressive, no (or minimal) account base, territory management, target oriented. He asked if he could apply and said, "I can CHANGE! I cna learn how to hunt. I can do it." My question to you is: Can someone switch roles? Can a farmer be a hunter? Can a hunter be happy just farming? Thoughts?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Starting a Business with Bad Personal Credit

Stay Employed In A Down Economy

Coaching Tip: Identify Your Core Values

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.