“Unless you address the root causes: the way you think, the way you approach the world, the way you approach adversity, right, you are going to struggle to make these changes that last in the long term.
I believe everyone can make changes that last in the long term. I feel I can do that in my life. I feel one of the problems with behavior change, Rich, is that we are trying to overcome the person who we are. The change which I want to make is in conflict with who we think that we are.
So, you mentioned new year. I think it’s the energy behind the behavior that’s the most important thing, not the behavior.
So, if your New Year’s resolution comes from an energy of lack–that I’m not enough, ok, I’m not good enough, and you’re trying to overcome that with guilt, and shame, and willpower. Yeah, you can be fine for two weeks. Or one month. Or two months. Or three months. But, you will always revert back–that’s been my experience.
But if… it comes from an energy of love and abundance, that ‘hey I actually like who I am’. Right. Actually, change becomes a lot easier, and you can get to a point where change becomes effortless–I experienced that myself now. Having tried to make changes for years that were in conflict with how I saw myself to be. You can get to that place, but I don’t believe that most of the advice is getting to the true root cause.”
- Dr. Rangan Chatterjee (bold is my emphasis)
I started listening to the latest Rich Roll podcast while I made my protein coffee (I started adding protein powder to my coffee to get an early jump start on hitting my protein goal for the day) this morning and early in the conversation Dr. Chatterjee dropped this gem. His quote is why I am going to buy his book when it comes out—just one quote sold me on it. Change is always going to be a part of our Pursuits. Your authentic life will always be an evolution, and with its evolution, you will be required to grow and change with it—unless you want to fall out of alignment with the life you were created to live. Sometimes, change will be easy. Other times, it’ll be a challenge. But, if you take Dr. Chatterjee’s advice and focus on the ENERGY from which your change is rooted and make sure it comes from a place of positivity and high frequency, you will be more likely to see the change you desire. For example, I’d like to drop about 5-7% of my body fat. The initial reason for wanting to get down to around 12% body fat was that I didn’t necessarily love what I saw with my shirt off—nothing terrible, but I wanted to look a little leaner and more defined than I do now. That energy is rooted in maybe shame or some other lower-frequency energy. As I thought about how I could reframe the energy from which my goal is rooted, I realized I should appreciate the health I have now, love how I look for 42, and want to take even better care of this healthy body I have. That energy is rooted in love. Both ways of viewing the goal will take me toward reducing my body fat, but one of them has a greater chance of lasting. I’ll admit this is a simplified example–but a real example. Some of the changes we might seek to make may have low-frequency energy attached to them because of past traumas, and those will take more work, possibly even help from a professional to help unpack those traumas. So if shifting the energy of your change isn’t as simple as the example I gave, that’s completely normal, and you can still make that change–you just might need a little additional support. I love that Dr. Chatterjee is bringing energy to the conversation. Most experts want to talk about strategy, tactics, and behaviors, missing the fact that the greatest strategy, tactics, and behaviors won’t lead to lasting change if the root cause for the need to change isn’t addressed and the energy behind the change doesn’t come from a loving space. This is also true with finances–if it’s true in medicine, then I know it’s true for finance. That is why I’m so excited about the possibilities LifeDesign+ and AlignedLife+ can unlock by shifting the focus from the financial planning strategy to the life you want to live. As you head into the new year, spend more time thinking about the energy behind your decisions, your outlook on life, and everything that you do–change your energy and see how it impacts your life. JC |
I'm on a mission to help more people find and live their authentic life. Check out my Daily Notes where I write a short note each day about the connection of spirit, mind, body and money on the Pursuit of your authentic life.
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