I have spent a lot of time in my life, more than I’d like to admit, contemplating how to change other people. As I am learning to focus my energy on my own development, I feel the truth of these principles and their application to us as individuals…
1. We don’t usually change because someone tells us to, we change because we realize we want to. In terms of our interactions with others, our relationships evolve and grow and necessarily entail change but often we change to preserve/strengthen the relationship rather than to fulfill an edict.
2. We are more inclined to change when we feel valued, have resources accessible to us and are given the space and time to choose a course of action.
3. Lasting change occurs when we internalize principles we learn by experimenting with the resources we’ve invested ourselves in.
4. The process of genuine change can be agonizingly, excruciatingly, and rewardingly slow.
Does this change the way you think of your own development?