Look around at all there is before us individually and collectively. Whether we are talking about peak oil, global warming, financial instability or health, all signs point to the same requirement on our part; a willingness and an ability to change. And yet, even when change is obvious, necessary and ultimately inevitable, it can be the one thing that we sometimes just cannot do.

Have you ever really, really wanted to make a change and just couldn’t get there? Have you ever recognized the damage that your current habits bring to your life but are still unable to shift? So much goes into how we have created our current habit patterns. There is childhood and the things that we were taught. There is the way our belief systems and identities are bound up with what we regularly do. There is the way that we want to fit in with those around us. And there is so much more.

In order to make lasting change, we need more than just information. Contrary to popular belief, the culture of information overload we currently live in does not automatically equate to change. As a matter of fact, it often serves as a distraction from the work of real change. What we need is a way to get below the noise, the resistance and the distractions. We need a way to access what is beneath the surface, what is unconscious, what has been left unnoticed. Without this, our conscious mind can state that it wants change, but it is the unconscious that needs to choose, as it is this part of us that serves as the invisible motivator of our behavior.

Here is an approach to try for getting beneath the surface. Sit quietly with pen and paper in hand. Close your eyes. Think about a change you would like to make. Let yourself bear witness to things you have tried and struggles you have encountered. Then, ask yourself; “What is the downside of changing?” Yes, the downside. List out all of the negative aspects for you of making a necessary or wanted change. What will you lose? What will hurt? Let yourself write as much as you need to, uncensored. Next, ask yourself; “What is the upside of staying stuck?” Yes, if you can believe it, there are positive reasons for you to stay where you are, no matter how much it hurts. Suspend judgment as best as you can while you write.

Change happening to us is something we can absolutely count on. We are living in greatly accelerated and accelerating times. And with that comes the necessity to navigate ever greater and ever more frequent changes occurring in our lives and in the world around us. With this acceleration comes the opportunity to learn how to be more creative and nimble in our approach to inner and outer change. With a shift in perspective and skill set, change becomes the fuel to power us towards our greatest expressions in the world.

Inspired by The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner