It's impossible to change a person who doesn't want to change. Show me a miserable person who has no desire to improve his or her attitude and I'll show you a lost cause. Be careful. Misery loves company and you may get sucked in if you're betting you can make a difference and you stay too long. The secret to inspiring change is to get others to want to change. That's it. It's so simple.
You may be wondering: How do I get others to want to change? You need to convince them that the idea you're offering will somehow make their lives better than the current course of action. The solution must appear more valuable than the cost to make the change. Make your solution bite-sized, meaning easy to swallow in tiny portions. I'll share an example from my days as a tennis instructor. I met people who told me there was no way they could ever learn to play tennis because they were too uncoordinated or the game was too complicated. I told them something one of my mentors shared, "there are only four mistakes you can make and once you understand how to correct them you can be your own coach and master the game on your own." The four mistakes are hitting the ball into the net, hitting the ball over the back line called the baseline, or too far to the right or the left. The tilt of the racket determines if you're hitting in the net or long and the timing of the swing determines if the ball is going left or right. Adjusting the tilt and/or the timing of the swing allows the ball to remain in play. Done. Now you can play tennis. If you don't believe me, you will never pick up a racket and try. That's okay. This story is not for you. But if you do believe me, I'll see you on the courts. You are now an overcomer of challenges. Congratulations. Have a great day.
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