This Is the Reason Why People Resist Change
Empathy, an undervalued asset for driving change.
“If you do not change your direction, you may end up where you are going.” — Lao Tzu
We fear the unknown because we can’t anticipate the outcome.
An old man accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life.
Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. Everyone asked him how he managed to survive.
“I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me,” the old man replied, “Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. That’s how I survived.”
Resisting change won’t turn the outcome in your favor. The old man survived the rapids not because he knew what to do but because he didn’t fight the current — he let go. Conversely, the bystanders worried more about his fortune than the ‘victim’ did.
Did you know your brain prefers predictable negative consequences over uncertain outcomes?
You cannot control uncertainty. Worrying will only make things worse. However, understanding what’s going on in your…
