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Changes Toward a Better Life
Every burst of momentum fades. That does not mean the change failed — with every new attempt, you become a little more like the person you want to be.
People tend to underestimate how much they can improve their lives in 5–10 years. At the same time, we overestimate the effect of short efforts because we do not account for setbacks. The story often goes like this: someone wants a change in their life and begins working on X. They build momentum, see progress and add goals Y + Z the following month, completing those successfully too. Wow! There is progress on every front, and they ride their surfboard at the crest of the wave — believing the changes are now permanent.
But like every wave, that momentum eventually ends. Experienced people know that this is simply how life works: “Wow, what a great ride — now let us find a new wave!” And they point their surfboard back toward deeper water, against the current. But people attempting a major life change for the first time do not know that every wave ALWAYS ends. Usually within a few months, because people cannot keep being someone else for longer and return to their old habits.
That is the catch, in both a good and a bad way. When someone begins bringing a change into their life, they are initially the “old” version of themselves and, at the crest of the wave, merely ACT according to new thoughts. Yes, the wave ends, BUT it is important to understand that we are already a SLIGHTLY newer version of ourselves. We take time to rest, catch our breath as the “old” version — and try again a few weeks or months later. Then again, and again. EVERY time we repeat the cycle, we become a LITTLE more like our new version, with a slightly different understanding. Each pause between waves grows shorter because the “OLD” version no longer demands rest: it is disappearing completely.
Unfortunately, we will not get there in 12 months. But within a few years, we notice that we no longer have to act according to the new thoughts — we simply ARE the new version, automatically. Goodbye, “OLD” version. We will not miss you! 😉
This long period is why I do not recommend trying to make changes X + Y + Z all at once. It is better to take one major goal at a time, calmly. Add another a few years later, once the earlier one is firmly in place. This approach may feel slow, but we win in the end because the changes last. We must always be patient with time!