What are the most effective strategies for overcoming resistance to change when setting PD goals?

After spending thousands of hours coaching clients I look at the topic of 'resistance' differently. I no longer see it as the enemy. Something you have to overcome. I see it as a guide, an opportunity to get more self-honest. When it is befriended and seen in this way, we are more open to becoming aware of what area needs addressing. All the while we are looking to beat resistance we can find ourselves entering a survival mindset where we look for firefighting solutions, rather than long-term create ones.

Overthinking leads to resistance to change, the reason why you have to think less and execute more... When it comes to Personal Development, the self awareness is the powerful weapon to beat the resistance to change, because you identify the threats that makes you stuck and resistance to old patterns and beliefs... Once you are self aware, you understand that in life there is not failure unless you accept the defeat in the first attempt...

Resistance is normal. Change is hard. Resistance points to the stories, systems, and structures that are blockers to change. It is normal for people to feel frustrated or ashamed of resistance when they are really signals to explore. Explore resistance and ask "What story am I telling myself?" or "How am I benefiting by blocking my progress?" When you understand why you are resistant, you identify new topics to work on. New opportunities for progress.

Resistance most often stems from fear. You may not realize it, but your fear is likely coming from a place of simply wanting to stay safe and survive.

Resistance is almost a constant in life. According to the book The War of Art, resistance can take different forms, such as: Procrastination Perfectionism Self-criticism Self-judgment Fear Self-doubt Boredom When setting PD goals: 1. Expect to face resistance probably every day, if not every hour. 2. Breathe in, breathe out, let it be. 3. Carry on with your plans anyway, despite the internal chatter/drama. 4. Focus more on what needs to be done instead of how you feel. 5. For certain periods of time, and to develop the habit, show up regardless of how you feel. "I'm feeling resistance AND I'm going to do it anyway." "I'm terrified AND I'm going to write this email anyway." "I'm bored AND I'm going to create new content anyway."

The communication is powerful when it's about overcoming resistance to change... Yet, it's all about you that needs to understand and believe that with effective communication you can change the way see the things and you can switch your beliefs for better and brighter life... Is more than clear the fact that, for someone who is insider box thinker is more resistant to change even if you had to give him all the roadmap, all the proven strategies, all the testimonials and, all the practical guides, he wouldn't change for nothing...

There are 3 impactful questions to ask: 1. What do I want? 2. What will I lose if I don't change? 3. What will I gain if I do change? It all starts with clarity. Once you have clarity, it's time to link the pleasure and pain... - What pain exists on the side of stagnation? What will your life be like if you don't change? - What opportunities exist on the other side of change? What great things will you feel if you do change? We can set logical goals, but we need emotions to be motivated.

Part of this communication is also creating the space for yourself and others to voice their concerns. Simply being given the opportunity to say them out loud, to be heard, seen and validated, is enough to then be comfortable moving forward.

Overcoming resistance to change involves effectively communicating the benefits, emphasizing positive outcomes not only for yourself but also for others. Articulating the advantages of achieving your professional development goals, such as acquiring new skills, advancing career prospects, or enhancing satisfaction, creates a compelling vision. This vision serves as motivation for you and others to embrace the change. Utilize stories, testimonials, or examples of successful change to inspire and persuade, reinforcing the positive impact that the change can bring to both individual and collective goals.

As a humanistic psychologist, I try to help individuals achieve personal growth and create meaning, which are two components of human potential. Therefore, if individuals can see that their action steps and goals can help them achieve personal growth and create meaning, they will have the motivation to change. Personal growth is important because, as human beings, we should never stop growing. Creating meaning is important because it will give individuals a sense of belonging in the world, which fulfills one of the human needs on the human hierarchy of needs.

When you commit to others, you are more likely to rise to the expectation. Being social animals, we tend to perform better when we know other people are watching. Involve others. Make commitments. Show up and crush it.

I think a lot of times resistance comes when people feel left out or left behind with the new process. Including team members in specific parts of the new process to get their input and buy in as you move forward.

To effectively overcome resistance to change, involve others in the process of setting and achieving your professional development goals. Seek feedback, support, and collaboration from individuals who share similar objectives or can contribute to their realization. This collaborative approach diminishes the sense of isolation and enhances a feeling of ownership and commitment. Leverage the power of social influence, peer pressure, or accountability to stay on track and overcome obstacles. By making your professional development a collective effort, you create a supportive environment that encourages continuous growth and achievement.

In my experience, many ambitious individuals get stuck in this phase. Having a clear vision is a starting point; developing an action plan requires a different thought process and skill set. When individuals come to me for coaching, this is often the area they find the most beneficial to focus our time on. Dreaming big means nothing if you don't know how to get from where you are now to where you want to go - and if you don't know how, your changes of starting let alone succeeding diminish exponentially. The world needs more big dreams to become reality!

Create SMART goals. Vague and wishy-washy goals may lead to confusion which may lead to inaction. Go into granular detail to create clear and specific goals. Keep the action plan simple and doable. Don't overload it with to-dos. Don't take on too much too soon. Two or three new items on your daily agenda is a good place to start. Work with your natural rhythm. (Some days you'll accomplish more than others.) Focus on building new habits/routines. Set up your environment so that it's easy for you to stick to your plan. Focus on the input instead of outcomes. With change the crucial thing is not to obsess about the goals but embrace the process. Make the process interesting and fun.

To overcome resistance to change, formulate a plan and take decisive action. Break down your professional development goals into smaller, manageable steps, reducing feelings of overwhelm and uncertainty. Taking action not only builds momentum and confidence but also provides opportunities to learn from mistakes and adjust your plan accordingly. Celebrate achievements along the way to reinforce motivation and maintain a positive attitude. By systematically implementing your plan, you create a structured path that not only facilitates progress but also combats resistance through tangible accomplishments.

I found it best to be persistent and consistent with achieving small action steps. For example, you would rather succeed at accomplishing one action step weekly than fail at trying to achieve 3 or more action steps weekly. As long as you are committed to what you say you will do, your brain will catch on and see that you are committed to what you say no matter what. The brain does not care much if your commitment is one, two, or three action steps. As long as you are committed to what you say and do, that is building the habit of commitment. And then in the future, when you have big action steps, you will achieve them because you already build the habit of commitment.

To overcome resistance to change, cultivate a growth mindset, fostering the belief that you can enhance your abilities and outcomes through effort and learning. Approach professional development goals as opportunities for personal growth rather than threats to your identity or competence. Embrace feedback, failure, and uncertainty as avenues for learning and improvement, rather than reasons to give up or avoid change. By adopting a growth mindset, you transform challenges into opportunities, creating a positive and adaptable mindset that enables you to navigate and embrace change effectively.

The growth mentality corresponds to those who consider that their qualities have the potential to improve and can grow with continuous learning and experience. All this is seen by these people as a product of their effort and persistence in the face of challenges and obstacles that appear. They know that their learning is changing over time and they accept and recognize that their current resources or strengths are the starting point they have when they take on new challenges. They also know that these resources are, at the same time, their potential. In other words, once put into action, they increase. They accept criticism as part of that learning process and are inspired by the successes of others.

Actively seek learning opportunities from mistakes. when you expect to learn, you also expect that not every action will result in a win. This is good! This is hard to do in the moment. Experiencing failure and disappointment is tough. However, you can intentionally ask the question, "What can I learn from this? What is the opportunity here?" With repetition, this becomes a habit. As it becomes a habit, it becomes part of your identity.

"It's all good as long as I'm growing. I'm on the right path, I'm making the right efforts." Adopt this mindset, drill it into yourself. Things will go off track. You will not always meet your goals. Some days will be difficult to show up. Some days will be super productive. You will face setbacks. You will face criticism. There will be uncertainty. Instead of getting lost in challenges, track your efforts and look at the long-term trends. If your efforts are on a steady upward trajectory, and you're working with a plan, you will eventually hit your goals or at the very least get close to them. This trend is what you focus on, not temporary setbacks.

Developing a growth mindset helps you see that learning and changing can be the best method for personal growth. Through feedback and failure, they show you exactly where you need to learn and grow to become better in the future. Even if you do not achieve your goals, personal growth is still there, and that is a win.

Se existe resistência, existe alguma lacuna de sofrimento ou a meta se tornou obriga??o e n?o faz mais sentido. Muitas vezes iniciamos um plano com toda a energia como se fosse uma "maratona" onde na largada damos todo o nosso "gás". No meio do caminho você cansa, n?o consegue manter o ritmo e se o objetivo final n?o for realmente algo que importe perderá a "vontade". Planos precisam fazer sentido ou serem ajustados ao longo do caminho, pe?a ajuda, busque apoio em uma rede que possa te subsidiar de insights ou conselhos. Muitas vezes precisamos de outra perspectiva, um olhar de fora para reestabelecer objetivos e se for preciso quebre o plano em mais outras micro a??es.

The important step to overcome resistance to change is to identify what you do not want to change and what gives meaning to who you are, your values, principles, what is really, really important to you. In moments of change, identifying this frees you from the fear of losing something (that you may not have identified but is in your unconscious) that is meaningful to you and that you do not want to lose. This makes the change really sustainable in time and makes your fears disappear (not all of them) and accelerates the change.