Jim Rohn famously said, “for things to change, you have to change.” If you’re not happy where you’re at right now, it’s not the outside world that must change. It’s the person in the mirror that must make the decision to change. But if I’m to make the decision to change my circumstances, am I ready for the price that comes with change?
Telling ourselves we need something to change is nothing new. New Year’s resolutions, promises about being better in relationships, or a promotion we have set in our minds are ways we acknowledge we want something to change. And while the energy and time spent on visualizing what we want is critical, we too often forget the time and energy needed in preparing ourselves for the price of change.
It’s exciting to speak about some evolution you’re striving towards for your health and wellness journey or identify what type of role you’re striving to grow into at work. What isn’t quite as fun to speak about is the price of change. It’s a little hard to get pumped talking about prepping a healthy meal for lunch the next day, carving out 15 minutes to go for a walk to hit your targeted step goal, or rushing from a shower after a workout to your next meeting.
It’s hard to cheer about spending extra time researching topics to build expertise at work or taking on an extra project to get exposed to more of the business. It’s hard to continue to connect with others that are difficult to work with in order to invest time building trust and expanding relationships.
The reality is the price of change often doesn’t have the same upbeat and fun message as talking about who we’re striving to become. But whether we’re willing to pay the price of change is often the question that determines whether we’ll follow through on this change we have in our minds or whether it stays a dream. If what we’re striving for is worthwhile, the price is going to be high. It will be tough, fulfilling, challenging, boring, empowering, and everything in between.
While we may come to moments in our growth journey where we feel like our account has bled dry and we no longer can afford the price of change, consider one question. What happens if I don’t change? It can be a scary question. I hope it’s a question that helps us dig a little deeper and find that we can pay the price of change. It won’t be easy. It won’t be without doubt and frustration. But when that price of change is paid, it’s an incredible feeling of fulfillment and perspective on how much we can push ourselves to strive for something authentically greater.
Take your step: identify a part of your life where you’re settling yet you know you want and deserve something different. Assess what you think the price of change may be and pick just one thing to focus on this week to push forward. This week, focus on this one step towards doing something different to create momentum. The price of change doesn’t have to be paid all at once, but we must start with the first step.