Take our Ambition Test

Find a career counselor near me

Many of us resist change. We see ourselves as an iPhone person or an Android person, we stick with the same doctor or therapist even though we're moderately dissatisfied, we keep the same hairstyle or color, and we're rocked when changes get foisted upon us at work.

We Get Better at Change When We're More Nimble

When we become more nimble, creative, fluid, and resourceful, we get better at both pursuing change and responding when it's thrust on us.

Nimbleness can come from a variety of strategies, including self-reflection, challenging our thinking, playfulness, and outwitting systems that force unwanted disruptions on us.

1. Audit Your Patterns, Kindly

Gretchen Rubin quotes advice that her father gave her, "If you think it might be time to make a change, you probably should've made that change six months ago." She says she's found this true in her work and personal life.

Is that your experience? When you eventually make a change, either because you decide to or have to, do you usually regret not doing it earlier?

Even if your first move away from a dissatisfying situation isn't perfect, it's often a necessary step on the way to a better one.

Understanding the very human tendency to delay change can free you to make an imperfect first move sooner. Your attitude to your foibles is key. Don't personalize what's universally relatable, just factor it in.

2. Make Change Routine

One way to........

© Psychology Today