As they say on Game of Thrones, “Words are wind.” People say all sorts of things, but then do something different. People say all the right things and then do exactly what they say they don’t want to do. People who want to change their behavior revert to old habits and do the most comfortable thing when confronted with an opportunity to try a new approach.
They say they want to be less judgmental, but when given the opportunity to be empathetic they evaluate instead. They say they want to take a risk, but when presented with the chance to try something new, they opt for the safe road. People say they want to be more nurturing, kind, open-minded, hard-working, responsible, inspirational – the list goes on, but then chose to be distant, punitive, narrow-minded, efficient, non accountable, and route.
The next time you are confronted with a choice do what feels the most unnatural, makes you the most uncomfortable, and seems totally wrong. Whatever your gut tells you to do, do the other thing. That is how we change behavior. When we do something different, we get a different result. Don’t expect to to enhance your life (to have deeper relationships, reach greater levels of success, to leave a lasting and meaningful mark) by doing the same old thing time and time again.