Why Is It So Hard to Change?

It’s the second half of January. You may have started the new year with a vision, having identified what you want to change, created some goals, and determined next steps that align with that change. You might even have developed a new routine, purchased a Peloton, and started a new journal. On New Year’s Day, you were off to the races, but you lost most of your steam by January 15, and you may be back to where you started by January 31. 

According to a 2016 study, 41% of Americans make a New Year’s resolution, but only 9% succeed in keeping them. Sound familiar? I know I’ve been there more than I care to admit. 

Why is it so hard for most of us to create lasting change?

When we set out to change anything—ourselves, our families, our communities, our organizations—we often focus on a vision, a goal, and a plan, but we fail to account for the often invisible and internal inhibitor of change: resistance. 

Prevailing models of change

Kurt Lewin, the father of change theory, was one of the first people to recognize and write about resistance, in the 1940s. He argued that in order to change, “driving forces” had to be greater than “restraining forces.” He called this ”force field analysis”: 

Driving forces > resisting forces = change

Driving forces are pro-change and move you forward toward a desired state. They tend to be positive, though they don’t need to be—they could be an inspired vision, a significant financial reward, or pressure from a boss. On the other hand, restraining forces are anti-change, and limit progress toward our desired state. They tend to be negative—an unwillingness to take risks, fear of uncertainty, and conformity to a specific way of life. In other words, driving forces want to promote change, and restraining forces want to maintain the status quo.