It’s generally uncomfortable and none of us really like it, but here are my thoughts about why it feels so hard to change sometimes.
Change…
It’s nice and comfortable here, I operate without having to think really, things flow.
Every now and then, something happens to ripple the water and stress levels go up, but I change up a gear to deal with it and then, it’s soon calm again.
I go back to floating…
Sometimes I think about moving to another pond to change things up, but when I look over the edge, the path looks overgrown and there’s a lot of obstacles in the way and no-one else wants to leave the pond so…
I go back to floating…
I lie on my back and watch the clouds go by and muse about what would make me move to the next pond…
If I could see exactly what it was like and the path to it was clear of weeds, and maybe if I could persuade some of the others to come with me…
Maybe then I’d move…
But for now, floating feels good…
Suddenly I feel something sharp in my back, I drag my thoughts back to the present and look around, the water level is low and I’m no longer floating but laying on sharp rocks…
I realise that things have changed, it’s time to move…
The rocks dig into my back further, they hurt and they’re uncomfortable, I long for the next pond, the bigger one, there’s more water there and maybe it would be more comfortable…
I move, I’m pushing through the undergrowth, it’s tough but it’s not as bad as being on the sharp rocks and I know there’s a better place waiting…
I have a vague idea of where I’m going, but I lose my way sometimes, I stumble, I fall, I lose sight of the others, but still I push on, there’s no way I’m going back to those sharp rocks…
Eventually, I see a clearing, I keep pushing towards it and then suddenly it’s there, in front of me…
It’s the new pond…
I run in, water starved and desperate to just lay on my back and float again…
It’s deeper than I thought, it doesn’t shelve in easily like my old pond, the water isn’t as clear, I can’t see what’s underneath me…
I panic and make for the edge again, I find my feet, I stand and look around and slowly, as I look around, I start to get used to this new place…
And then, finally, here I am, lying on my back, floating and watching the clouds go by…
All’s well with the world again.
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This is why change is hard – because when things are comfortable, we don’t have enough spurring us on to move from where we are, so why would we move?
This is why starting the process of change feels hard, because you can’t see the path clearly and what you can see is littered with obstacles, so why on earth would you step out and start the journey?
So, next time you feel the rocks in your back, know that it’s probably a signal that it’s time to move on.
Recognise that things are probably not going to feel easy for a while…
But that’s OK, you got this and you will get there.