In essence, the reason we don't change is because it's hard. To change, you quite literally have to become a different person. The current you is not the one who will get you to where you want to go.

You have to uproot certain beliefs. It's hard. You have to go against the grain of what you've become accustomed to. You know you're miserable, but miserable feels nice and cozy.

Food for thought: It's all just fear.

fear of discomfort, fear of sacrifice, fear of the pain of doing the hard things.

The reality is we don't change because we don't want to.

We know what we have to do, we know what it will take, and it doesn't matter. You might be thinking you want to change, but you don't. Not really.

The first step to change is to acknowledge that you don't want to.

Stop lying to yourself. You don't want to change.

The good thing for you is changing isn't a matter of wanting to do so, it's a must.

You won't change until changing has become a MUST for you.

That's why most people change only when they hit rock bottom. Their backs are against the wall and the only way is forward.

They've already fallen into the pit of unimaginable pain, and they will do anything to climb out of it.

You don't have to hit rock bottom to change, though. What you could do— and it's arguably much harder—is create a sense of rock bottom from within.

You have to convince yourself that this dream you want is you (which isn't a lie). It's what brings you meaning and fulfillment. You don't want to die with the regret of having not done everything in your power to pursue that vision you see for yourself.

You have to create a sense of necessity within. Journal and find more. Realize that who you want to be is the thing that's most like yourself.

Think about your future and what happens when you don't chase the person you are meant to become. Think about the inevitability of death.

Think about this often. Remember that time is running out and life keeps going.

You aren't living until you are actively chasing your future self.

The next step is to realize that you and your future self are one and the same.

There's no "tomorrow" until it becomes today.

You are your future. Each action you take has a detrimental or beneficial effect on where you're going.

It's easy to neglect your future self because those are "tomorrow's problems". Wrong, they are today's problems. "Tomorrow" always becomes today until your life stops.

You can't do anything about tomorrow, from tomorrow.

The tomorrow, future you has no control over what happens to itself. The only way you control that is to control the now.

The problem is we spend too much time repeating our mistakes, never learning from them, and constantly being the one to account for what we did or didn't do yesterday.

The final step is to acknowledge that this is bigger than you.

If you don't change, what happens?

The problem is you think this is all about you. You think that your neglect of pursuing a dream that would add value to the world doesn't have a detrimental effect if you don't change it.

No. How selfish of you. This is bigger than you. It was never about you.

Your all "me me me". No one cares about what you do if it doesn't provide value to them in some form anyway.

If you care about this world you live in, be something to it.

We are like nodes in a circuit. The actions we take affect something somewhere. Even if that sounds like crap, believe it anyway.

Believe that everything happens for a reason. Yes, everything. Even the worst things. Even the unimaginable things. Whatever is happening, it's for a reason.

This may be the worst thing to hear for a lot of people. I know there are people out there going through the most unimaginable strife. I also know that history has taught us that no one is coming to save us.

We have to be our own hero. I pray people get the help they need and someone comes along and saves them, but if you aren't doing anything until then, it may be too late.

The point of believing everything happens for a reason is to get you out of rock bottom, to create the necessity within you to change your circumstances and not become a slave to them. It's to get you to stop playing the victim even if you rightfully are.

There have been many people dealt the worst hand who have changed, and they didn't do that by playing the victim and waiting around for help.

Another food for thought: You're NOT okay.

How much has not living the life you want to live cost you? Really, how much?

You have to realize that you aren't okay with being miserable, no matter how comfortable it feels. You're miserable. You're killing yourself.

You're not okay.

We already know what to do, but we ignore it because we want to do things our way. We want to feel good about the path we are on.

"Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better." — Sydney J. Harris

We want to half-ass the work. We want to be satisfied now. We want answers now. We want certainty now. These are all things that won't happen frequently on the path to your dreams.

We become unhappy when we try to control the things we can't control.

We aren't comfortable with words like "unknown", "patience", "sacrifice", "grit", "perseverance", "luck", "chance", "possible", "potential", or anything of the sort.

You need to ask yourself if you truly want to be successful and change. Are you ready to become a vessel worthy of success?

Do you want to do it your way, or the way? Do you care about being right, or achieving your dreams?

More often than not, the thing you have to do to actualize your precious dream are the things you aren't willing to do.

Most of us would rather spend our whole life chasing the things that don't work rather than the things that do.

You can't be successful and do it your way. Even if it feels like you are finding success by doing it your way, you are actually following proven principles that work.

Success already is. It's not something you create, it's something you make space for and receive. It has a mind of its own.

The only way to make space for success is to change. Stop hoarding and clear out the damn storage closet for once. And keep it clean.

There's only one way. That way may look different from person to person, but it's still one way. The way.

In short, if you want to change, acknowledge that you aren't okay with where you are despite how good it feels;

Remember that it's all just fear, and once you can put that name to it, it's just another familiar thing you are used to;

Acknowledge that you don't want to change, but that you have to for the sanity and betterment of yourself and everyone around you;

Know that your future is you, and each and everything you do impacts the world on a global scale and your trajectory through it.

This thing is bigger than you and worthwhile enough to pursue despite no guarantee of success. Isn't it?

If that's the case, be kind to yourself because you aren't happy. While you're being kind, also put in the work to become someone you can be happy about. If you are actively trying to change, then you are different. You are changing.

Keep at it and prove to yourself and everyone around you that change is possible. People do it all the time.

Why can't you?