Episode 501 – Change is not hard

“Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.”

Jim Rohn

• Good morning my friends and welcome back
• After a 3 week break, I am back with brand new episodes for you
• I hope you enjoyed either re-listening to some of the older episodes or catching up on them if you missed them
• I used to record 5 episodes per week
• It was tough for me and I am sure it was tough on you
• I can’t keep up with all the podcasts I subscribe to so I know it was hard to listen to so much content – even though it was short
• My goal is to be there for you with daily inspiration, but I have learned based on my own experience that I can only absorb so much
• And apply – even less
• And this is where I am hoping to be more effective
• I want to not just inspire you and feel good for a few moments
• I want to help you take action
• Information is plentiful
• But without using that information, it remains just information
  • A Cookbook with healthy recipes looks nice on the shelf
  • But without ever cooking and trying out some of the recipes – the book alone doesn’t add any value to our life
• The problem I see today that there is so much information out there and that we have to really become scrutinizing and select the knowledge that is useful
• That means we always have to ask ourselves – if it applies to us and if we can actually apply the information
• Sadly – there is so much useless advice out there
  • Advise that doesn’t really address the issue
  • Advise that is not practical or realistic
• Or its advice that is to overwhelming to take action on
• I have read many great books
• Loved them
• But never did anything with the information
• I find small bits of information more helpful
  • An example I can relate to
  • Some lesson from the example that I can understand
  • And a resulting action I can easily implement
• That is what I am trying to do with this podcast
• I share stories I have come across and the lessons I have drawn from them
• And I will always leave us with something to consider, to try, to take action on
• Because action is the only thing that matters
• If we don’t try at least one of the 100s of recipes in the book, we will not learn
• If we don’t change something, nothing will change
• Or it will change in a way we may not like
•  

• Change is hard – we all have said it at one time or another
• And that’s all it is – something we say
• And we say it to excuse ourselves
  • to excuse our laziness,
  • our unwillingness to try harder,
  • our lack of commitment to the task
• We say it when things don’t work out in our favor
  • When we failed
  • When things didn’t go our way
  • When we lost courage or motivation
• But its just something we say
• Its not how it has to be
•  
• This podcast is all about change
• Its about taking tiny steps from a place of status quo into a different direction
• I am asking you to change
• Because I have found that change is the only way I grow
• Change doesn’t have to be big but it needs to be consistent
• Making one big change today and then nothing again for the next 10 years will not help you grow unless you consistently push yourself
• If we want to explore our potential, and live our best life, we constantly needs to change
  • When you try a recipe from that new cookbook you bought, you change
  • You introduce something new to your brain and therefore to your life
  • You expand your horizon
• Change is that simple – it IS NOT hard
• Excuses, resistance, laziness, and disinterest make change hard
• But change itself is not hard
• We do it all the time
  • We try a new dish in our favorite restaurant
  • We take an alternate route home because the freeway is clogged
  • We stay in a different hotel when we visit our family
  • We react differently to a recurring complaint
  • We read an article about a question that we want to answer
•           
• change starts with awareness and openness
  • a readiness to listen, to be receptive, to be curious
• change already starts when we notice something that interests us, and then reflect on it
  • play with it, imagine it, evaluate it
• action will not follow immediately
• it takes time – it may take years
• until we are ready
• We are ready when we transition from awareness to acceptance
• when we acknowledge that this pertains to us and we decide to do something about it
• Action initiates change
• Awareness > Acceptance > Action

“Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.”

• And change lies in our hand
• Life will change around us and force us into change
• And the less we are open to change, the harder this change will be
• I prefer to initiate my own change
• I have found it makes me more open for the sometimes tough changes that come my way
• But I have also noticed that there are fewer tough changes when I make my own tough changes
• The more change I seek, the stronger and more resilient of a person I become
• The more I can handle and take on
• And the better I can deal with setbacks
•  
• this is the purpose of this podcast
  • to help you create that awareness areas of your life you may not have previously considered
  • to inspire you to think more about them, to play with different ideas
  • and to eventually take a step towards that new idea
• Remember that the environment we live in is key
  • Surrounded by smokers you are less likely to quit smoking
  • Bring more into your life of the things and the people you are seeking
  • Climbing has taught me that
  • I want to climb – I need partners
  • If I rely only on the one partner I have then I am left stranded if something happens to him
• Its easy to get comfortable with what we have
  • It works, so why change?
• Well, the day it doesn’t work anymore, we are forced to change
• So why not be ready for major change and make small changes along the way?
  • After I met my current gym climbing partner I realized the importance of being open and friendly with people
  • You never know who you meet
  • And when fellow climbers meet at the base of a route, there is always small talk going on – hey, where you from, what are you climbing
  • I never used to engage much in this chatter
  • Its not my comfort zone
  • Besides – why? I wondered.
  • I have a partner. I don’t care about these other people – I will never see them again.
  • This has changed
  • Now I even initiate these conversations
• I am a climber so I want to surround myself not just with one climber, but with many
• That way, I never have to worry about a weekend where I don’t have anyone to climb with
• Our environment is important
• If we want to change, if we want to reach a goal, be better at something, or fulfill a dream, we need to create an environment that supports us with that change
• My favorite example is food
  • Don’t buy the food you don’t want to eat and you wont eat it
  • Don’t book your entire weekend with eating out get-togethers if you are watching your diet
  • Instead find people who walk with you
  • Why do get togethers have to involve food?
  • I frequently text friends to meet me by going for a walk

• My podcast is such a change in environment that you can make
• By filling yourself with information that inspires you to change, you an increasing your awareness and challenging yourself to be more open and curious
• Instead of listening to meaningless radio in the car or the train, you can fill yourself with something that helps you grow
• This is what I want to do
  • Nudge you
  • Inspire you
  • Make you think
  • And act

• Change is not hard
• Change is doing something different and we do it all the time when our motivation is there
  • When we want to change, we change
  • When we have to change, we change
• But when we are to comfortable, or when it’s a bit risky, we make excuses
•  
• So don’t say change is hard
• Instead ask yourself – what does it take for me to change?
  • Do I need more information?
  • Do I need to be more open and curious?
  • Do I need more motivation and believe in my goal?
  • Do I just need to take a step?
• Mostly, that’s all you have to do
• Take a step into a new direction
• And design your environment so it supports you

• Change is not hard
• Change can happen automatically when you are ready
• Find out what you need to do to be ready

Much love