How to make change easier.

Here’s a thought I’ve been thinking recently.

It’s to do with change. If we’re trying to change something about ourselves, often it can be really hard. I’ve been thinking about why it’s hard.

This can be applied to a lot of things, but as an example I’ll use someone who wants to be more creative and start an art journal.

There’s lots of reasons why this could be hard.

We might run up against beliefs about ourselves (I’m not creative, I don’t know how, I don’t have time, it’s too hard, I’m not good at drawing, I never stick at anything, my old art teacher said x, etc.).

Changing ourselves means changing our identity. Who we know ourselves to be. If we’ve known ourselves to be ‘not creative’ or someone who ‘never sticks at anything’ for a long time, knowing ourselves as someone who enjoys doodling in an art journal and over time, will fill the whole book might take some work. And that can feel like a lot when we’re just starting out.

Another reason change can be hard is because willpower is finite. And when we’re tired or stressed or have other life stuff going on, it’s hard to remain laser focussed on the new habit or way of being that we’re trying to create.

So what do we do?

There is a way for change to be a bit easier without us having to ‘effort harder’.

What if instead of trying to change our identity and our behaviour at the same time, we changed our external world so it’s easier to draw than it is to not draw?

Kind of like we’re the river – we’re going to run down the path of least resistance.

How do you change the river? Shift the banks that guide it.

Using our art journal example – if you want to fill an art journal, how could you create some external circumstances that make creating more something that happens more easily?

For me - I have an art journalling and chatting zoom call every other week with two of my cousins, which means I have a time and a place that is for drawing, and so at that time and in that place, I draw in my journal. Enlisting others can be a great way of moving the banks in your favour.

I have a client who keeps her art journal on her kitchen table, so when she’s waiting for dinner to cook, she can sit down and draw for five minutes. She’s created a space where her journal is visible so it’s easy to sit there for a few minutes instead of defaulting to scrolling. She had to let go of the ‘I need an hour of uninterrupted time’ belief and change it to ‘I can take five minutes where I find it’ and now she’s well on her way to filling her art journal with thoughts and images.

I’ll leave you with the question - how might you move the banks of your river so it flows in the direction you’d like to go?

If you’d like help with this (for some people, myself included, external accountability is extremely helpful), click here to send a message and let’s find a time to talk.