Change is hard.

 

It requires effort, discipline and perseverance. It can be bolstered with positive self-talk, rewards, affirmations and meditation. It can enable you to be the best version of yourself.

 

You can be your best ally and also your toughest enemy as you walk along your Joychiever path.

 

But what about others? How do they help or hinder your personal changes.

 

In reading about Colin Powell this week, I was struck by his quote—probably in a way that wasn’t meant. But, as I think about making steps in the quest for bettering yourself, sometimes it’s the people around you who don’t want you to change—who get in the way or become enemies to your growth.

 

They are used to you as you are. They know what to expect. They know your patterns. They know how YOU will support THEM. They don’t want it to change or stop.

 

Sometimes changing yourself involves upsetting others—and that’s OKAY. We need to let them be upset. We need to encourage them to evolve with you. In some situations, you may have to have explicit conversations with people around you to explain your shift to a new way of being. Sometimes, you just let the change evolve.

 

The key is to not let others’ expectations prevent you from doing what’s right for you. If they can’t evolve with you, then they don’t deserve to orbit your universe.