Last week we took our annual look at the dreaded (!) New Year’s resolutions which, all too often, seem to be a reaction to the excesses of the festive season, along with a good dollop of peer pressure, rather than a well thought out plan to improve our lives or health. “I’m going to lose 3 stone / run a marathon / double my salary / fill in the blank, what about you?” Sadly, the results – or non results (!) – are all too predictable and yet people still keep doing it... If you missed it, you can find it here.
Not surprisingly, this then leads on to conversations with Clients and those around us as to why their efforts were unsuccessful – again (!). How changes can be made more easily. And, let’s be honest as quick and painless as possible.
Well, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is there’s a very easy answer to this question.
The bad news is that it isn’t necessarily the one people want to hear…
By its very nature, change can be scary. It takes us out of our comfort zone, whether doing something differently or completely new. And with this comes the fear that “here be dragons.”
So, what’s the easy answer to this question?
Well, as we hinted last week, it’s all to do with motivation. The “WHY”. Why do they want to make this change?
And this is where the bad news comes in.
It’s the main reason so many people fail to make changes in their lives. The “why” must come in the language of feelings NOT in cold, hard facts.
Why is this?
Quite simply because humans are driven by their feelings. And, if you’re in any doubt about this, try thinking about anything without having a feeling – positive or negative – about it. You just can’t.
To make a change easily, the motivation – the why – must come from you. BE PERSONAL TO YOU AND FEEL GOOD. It must come from inside, rather than outside. Not from cold logic. Nor from others telling you that something may be good for you or in your best interests. Not from everyone else doing it, so you should too..
It doesn’t matter whether your motivations make sense to anyone else or not (!). All you need are at least one – or, ideally more – reasons why you want to do it WHICH FEEL GOOD TO YOU. Make you smile when you think about it.
Now, here’s the important bit, that many people miss.
You need to start practising this feeling BEFORE the change starts to materialise. Think of it as putting down a marker, “This is the way I’m heading and doesn’t it feel good?!?” It’s all about starting to acclimatise yourself to whatever it is and how it’ll feel when you achieve it.
The easiest way to remember to do this is to make it part of your routine. A minute or two at each end of the day. During the day when it pops into your head or the Little Monster in your head starts to express his doubts.
And here’s another little trick to help ease your path. As you go about your day, notice when similar feelings come up and revel in them.
So, if the feeling your change inspires is one of satisfaction, then enjoy that feeling whenever it comes up. All the tiny satisfactions that come up during the day. Of a task easily completed, an unexpected result, a small kindness along the way. Anything, big or small, milk that feeling!
As you do this something magical happens, the path to whatever it is starts to light up. One step at a time, as you become INSPIRED to do it. No longer a struggle or drudge. Easy and fun to do, makes you smile in the process.
And that’s how easy change can be. One step at a time. It feels good, so why wouldn’t you want to take the next step?
All you ever need to know is where you want to end up – not even the specifics – just the general destination. Then let inspiration light the path to take you there in the quickest and easiest way. If you’re thinking internal GPS, that’s exactly what it is!
Change is not about struggle, willpower or having to “earn” or “pay” for it in some way, despite what perceived wisdom or the Little Monster in your head may have told you. It’s a natural part of life and enjoyable, not a chore. Feels good when you think about it. When you go and do it. And, finally, when you’ve achieved whatever it is and made it part of your life.
INSPIRATION is a limitless fuel supply. It feels great and makes even the most radical change easy.
Now contrast this with the other method all too many people make the mistake of relying on. PERSPIRATION or, as it’s more commonly known, WILLPOWER. And doesn’t that conjure up pictures of gritted teeth and sheer effort? “I’ll do this if it’s the last thing I do.”
Rather than going with the flow, it’s all about external effort and force to get something done. It doesn’t feel good to do but, the logic goes, it’ll feel good when we get there. Unfortunately, this never seems to be the case.
The reason why relying on external force – willpower – never works is that it can only be done by with a conscious effort. In other words, you have to make a conscious decision to do it and, as soon as you stop thinking about it, the game’s over.
And this is why change becomes so difficult. We’re approaching it in the wrong way and relying on the wrong fuel to get it done. By its very nature, willpower is a finite resource. The tank quickly runs dry and has to be refilled. Compare that with inspiration which is effortless, an inexhaustible fuel.
As always, the choice is yours.
Copyright © 2026 Elaine Smart, Smart Holistics. All rights reserved.
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