The status quo seems to have around it some kind of gravity force, which holds us back from moving away from it, towards our goals.
It’s the duel force of fear and anxiety which comes along with the uncertainty of what might lay ahead, particularly when we’re doing something different or new.
It’s so much easier to play safe and stick with our current routine. In our present situation or circumstance we know what to expect, and we know we can deal with most eventualities. There is nothing too scarey to worry about.
Humans don’t deal well with change, it’s fear inducing to trample unexplored territory. There are too many monsters lurking in the darkness, metaphorically speaking.
Our survival instincts have conditioned our brains to avoid anomaly and change at all costs, and the easiest way to do this is to play it safe. Do what we know and keep doing it as long as we can.
At the same time, we like to experience good surprises, like the unexpectedly win or gain of something we value. So uncertainty is good as long as it’s a promise of good.
So wandering away from the status quo is possible, providing we have something positive enough to aim for.
All change has within it, potential, which can be either good or bad. There are risks and dangers, as well as possibilities and opportunities.
We have to find a positive reason to make change, and we have to have the vision of a better alternative than the one we are currently experiencing.
We also have to believe that the cost of not pursuing our goals will deliver such regret that we just won’t be able to bear it in the years to come. This kind of fear propels us forward, rather than holds us back.
Finding the motivation to take action is all about shifting mindset. It’s about hacking the way we think, from something that holds us hostage, into something that opens us up to a new, exciting way forward.
If you want something enough, you’ll find a way, if not, then maybe you just didn’t want it enough.