If You Change Nothing, Nothing Will Change.
As 2023 winds to a close I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a patient earlier this year. A patient that had a plethora of health concerns and had to make the decision to make a change or continue to decline in health.
However, that decision had already been made a year and a half earlier. She had made the decision to make her health a priority. This conversation was a different one. You see she is also a health professional and works with individuals on improving their mental health.
We were discussing the struggle of building new habits and changing habits when it comes to health. How so often when it comes to reaching a goal we have an expectation in our mind of how we are going to reach it. How sometimes we would rather stay where we are at with our health challenges, rather than viewing the road to the goal as something that can change and evolve with the goal staying the same or similar.
As we discussed how health and our view of health varies from individual to individual, how everything from our social setting to how we were raised, to whether we celebrated momentous occasions with food or alcohol causes an impact on how we view our health, she paused and looked at me and said, “At the end of the day if you change nothing, nothing will change.”
The conversation continued, the visit ended, and we both went on our way. However the phrase, “If you change nothing, nothing will change”, has stuck with me.
Looking Back
Rewind eleven years ago and I was getting my bachelors degree in Health Science. I took a multiple classes related to health and wellness; Obesity & Weight Management, Personal Training, Health & Wellness Coaching, Lifestyle Coaching & Management, etc. In each of those classes when it came to setting goals and working towards goals with clients the initial intake part was the most important. To be effective at working with someone to help them reach their goals they need a “why”. Some individuals are able to have a “why” of;
“I want my clothes to fit better, or I want to be a little more muscular”.
However, for most individuals the “why” has to be deeper, it has to resonate at a deeper and more emotional level. Instead of I want my clothes to fit better, which again works for some, it might more realistically be.
”I want to be able to get on the ground and play with my future grandchildren”. The “why” might start as, “I want to be more muscular”, and turn into, “I want to stay strong as get older so that I feel like I can still protect my family”.
When it comes to changing or improving ones health finding your “why”, or “why not” is one of the hardest parts. It’s not about finding a why that is easy to come up with, but rather finding a why that can act as motivating factor or a driving factor when motivation and will power are lacking. A why that helps to drive you when the outcome of the goal is more important than the strain or lack of motivation. Finding a why that actually matters. Again each individual’s why for improving or changing their health is going to be different. For many individuals their why changes throughout their life.
Finding your why when it comes to health. Here are some resources for finding your why.
While finding your “why” is important at the end of the day, “If you change nothing, nothing will change.”
When it comes to your health, whether it be your;
Physical
Mental
Sexual
Spiritual
Social
Muscular
Cardiorespiratory
On and On and On.
“If you change nothing, nothing will change.”
I think this is one of the hardest things we have to overcome when it comes to our health. That as an individuals once we reach a certain age we control the majority of our health. We can’t control all of it. When it comes to our health our genetics play a role, where we were raised plays a role, and even the individuals we spend our time with plays a role in our health.
Between family, work, and the doldrums of life for many of us our health slides to the back burner. Whether it’s your physical, mental, sexual, spiritual or any other facet of health our health often takes the back burner and we continue to drudge on. January turns to February and then February to March, before we know it fall is around the corner and we remember that the health challenge we wanted to address wasn’t addressed. We changed nothing and nothing changed.
As we approach 2023 its my wish for you that if you have any health goal you want to achieve in the coming year that you set out with a purpose in mind, a why to help you continue, and the quote, “If you change nothing, nothing will change.”
May your 2023 end spectacularly and I hope 2024 is an amazing year for you. Optimize Chiropractic has many big things coming this next year and I look forward to continuing to share with you information about health and Data-Driven Chiropractic.
If you’re working on creating some new habits for the new year I highly recommend checking out this blog on habits and the links included in the blog and as always feel free to reach out with any questions over email at drcoffman@optimizecolumbus.com.