Making changes can be really difficult – even if we know how important they are and how much we’ll benefit from them.
John Maxwell tells us that first, we must have a purpose inspiring us to make a change. Second, to transform our lives, we must submit to an ongoing process of change. Finally, we must enlist other people to support us along the pathway of change.
Purpose
Unless you can see how making a change will improve the future, it's difficult to find the motivation to adjust. A sense of purpose helps you to make the decision to change and gives you the energy to follow through on it. Once you have the big picture in mind, you're able to endure the short-term pains of discipline.
Process
Change involves more than desire; it requires commitment to a process. We cannot transform ourselves through sporadic effort. Life change happens strategically, by following a concrete plan.
People
As leaders, we can be stubbornly self-reliant. Nothing feels worse to us than being needy and helpless. Yet, our individual willpower eventually proves powerless to bring about the changes we hope to achieve. We have to realize our dependence on other people and lean on them for support in order to experience change.
How much are you really willing to change?