Change Isn't Always Fun

Too often when I worked with people who were making changes in their lives they would come in complaining about how hard the change was for them. When digging deeper into what hard meant, it often came down to enjoyability. Change was not enjoyable. Change was not fun. Change was hard. We as humans do not like hard. We so want what we do to be exciting, releasing all those great chemicals in our brains that makes us feel grand. When we don’t get that, we find ourselves doubting what we are doing or have done.

You have to remind yourself that the process of change will not always be fun, easy or desirable. There will be a struggle to make yourself do what you’re supposed to do. You will wonder why you are putting yourself through the trouble. You will doubt that this change is worthwhile or even achievable. This can either be seen as the mind’s doubt or a desire to avoid the difficult. It could also be a type of crisis of faith in yourself and your process.

It’s okay to feel this way.

Lean into these feelings and accept them. Look at your plan and remind yourself why you’re doing this. This may mean you just need to push through and keep going. Get your shit done. Sometimes just keeping at it, doing the best you can will lead you back to feeling okay with your process and what you have been doing. The key to any of this is to allow yourself to feel blah and then work your way back to finding the joy and passion again. To remember, not every day, in fact most days, will be a joy or fun experience.

This could mean something more.

Now, these feelings may be a sign you need to scale back a bit. Not stop, but slow things down for a week or a couple of days. You may need to let yourself breathe and catch up mentally and physically. Don’t be afraid to take time to do something else completely unrelated to what you’ve been doing. But, don’t let that something else take over so that you lose focus on what you were doing. Just use this quick change up as a way to clear your mind and focus.

Remember, you will not feel good all the time.

That thing you want, the change you desire, the goal you set will not always be as motivating as it was in the beginning. Doubt and worry are normal, as well as blandness and boredom. You just need to embrace these feelings, understanding they don’t mean everything is bad or needs to change. Just address them, review the reasons, take a break if needed and then get back at it.