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 Accepting Change

One of the most important aspects that separate humans from animals is the ability to change. This is a quality we admire in others, but struggle with ourselves. Many of us find it hard to accept change and transition into new routines without resistance. Whether you're struggling with embracing new work responsibilities or personal life changes, there are plenty of ways to get started on accepting these transitions.

This blog post will provide some helpful tips for overcoming your reluctance towards positive change and will outline methods you can use that may be helpful in your own journey towards acceptance.

The progress made by many individuals today can be seen as a result of their willingness to embrace change rather than resist it (Casey McGehee). The ability to accept change can be seen as a sign of progress. Usually, the willingness to embrace change is what marks the transition that has been made. But why do some people prefer to reject change?

There are many reasons why people might resist change and not fully commit to it. Below are some of the most common reasons for this...

Reason 1: Fear of rejection or failure.

Many people avoid starting something because they are concerned about being rejected by others, or failing in their goals or aspirations. This is understandable but it's a habit that should be broken. Criticism from others can usually be avoided by getting started and trying out your plan first before telling others about it.

Reason 2: Fear of success.

This fear of success is also understandable but it should be considered a temporary factor. Once you start something you cannot stop which means failure or success it out of your control. Usually, this fear will pass once the concept behind the change or start is accepted and successful.

Reason 3: "The Big Idea" principle.

Many people resist positive change because they have a very strong idea about what they want and do not want to change in the future, which can become stronger as time goes on and their resistance continues to grow stronger. This is a very difficult barrier to break down but the benefit of overcoming this is almost immeasurable.

Reason 4: Fear of success combined with the "Big Idea" principle.

These two reasons often work together to make this transition towards positive change more difficult. They are two separate personal barriers but it's important to keep them apart as much as possible. Some people find it hard to accept change because they want things to be a certain way, and if someone is different, they will usually reject them in some form or another. Regardless of any differences, most people accept others once they see that the person does not interfere with their "big idea" for the future and can still provide positive value for their life.

However, this principle can be hard to overcome especially if you are in the middle of a life transition. If possible, it is best to plan your life around a single "big idea" and then map out your other goals and aspirations around that big idea. This way, rather than focusing on one thing at a time, you will have greater focus on all the different things you want within your life.

Reason 5: Fear of change combined with a weakness in self-discipline.

This is probably the hardest factor to overcome but also one of the most important ones. Your own self-discipline will be the key to your success in life and it is important to improve this factor as much as possible. The best way to do this is to set daily goals and focus on achieving them. When you succeed in one of your goals, it becomes a much more powerful motivator because you start seeing the results immediately.

At first, this can be frustrating if your goals are big or distant but if you have a solid plan put in place with clear steps that lead to success, it should be relatively easy to achieve these goals.

Sometimes goal setting can become ineffective but there are a number of ways that help make sure these techniques work for you...

When setting goals, it's important to focus on the most important aspects in each goal. Focusing on a small detail for too long can become counterproductive as it will cause you to lose focus and end up neglecting other important aspects.

This is why you should have a list of "must have" goals that need to be accomplished and then a list of "nice-to-have" goals. By writing these down in a specific order, you ensure that all the things you are working towards are not put off because of one little obstacle that will prevent them from being finished.

Once you've decided on the order in which they should be completed, begin working on them one at a time until they are completed. If you encounter some resistance, this is the time to use your self-discipline and set some new mini-goals that help you get passed the barrier.

When working towards your long-term goals, it's important to plan a few "mini goals" that you can work on at a time to ensure you are achieving progress. You can even set these up as rewards if they are overachieved. This will keep your focus on achieving these goals and provide motivation when things start to get hard.

The key is to have a flexible approach and be willing to change the way in you achieve your goal as much as needed without sacrificing your core idea for the future. You will want to let go of the idea that you have to stick with this plan for a certain length of time, so long as you are making progress towards the end goal.

There are many ways in which you can improve your daily self-discipline whether it's through exercises or just more focused planning. These tips can help you take control of your life and make positive changes...

Focus on small, clear goals that can be accomplished easily using a single action. For example: "I will write 1 article per week by 11 am every Friday." is much better than "I will write 1 article a month by 11 am on all Fridays" because it is much easier to accomplish.

Small goals are easier to reach and you will feel more empowered afterwards. It's also easier to change your mind if the smaller action takes longer to complete, so you can still keep your goal on track. Of course other tasks may be needed during the week but if you focus on just one thing every day, it makes it a lot easier to see these goals accomplished.

Use a reward system as motivation to help you achieve success at your small goals. This can make all the difference in your motivation and success towards accomplishing them. This will not only motivate you to complete the goal but also get others involved in the process so everyone has their own personal reward.

The key to a good reward system is to make sure you have a unique one so it is not seen as a chore or expected. With that in mind, you should try changing your rewards every once in awhile so your winning strategies do not grow stale and become ineffective.

When goal setting, make sure the goals you set are relevant to your life and future plans. When the goals are relevant, it's much easier for you to stay motivated because it's easier for you to relate to the things that are being accomplished.

It's important that all your goals align with each other in some way but by making them clear and relevant, you can keep yourself on track towards accomplishing each of these tasks.

Conclusion

There is no one answer to what makes a person successful but you should understand the following factors so that you can improve them for yourself...

- Stay focused on your goal and avoid distractions.

- Set small, achievable goals at regular intervals and put these into a reward system.

- Work on specific areas of your life and make these goals relevant to each other.

- Keep the focus on the long term in all aspects of your life with daily goals that are relevant to this.