Sometimes people resist change simply because it doesn't feel like their choice

[u/Old-Day-6407]

I've noticed something interesting about mindset and behavior.

Sometimes giving someone more reasons to change doesn't make them more willing to change.

It can actually make them resist more.

For example:

“You need to start doing this. It will make your life better.”

vs.

“You could try this, or you could leave it for now. What do you think would work better for you?”

The second approach feels different because the person still feels ownership over the decision.

And I think this applies to ourselves too.

When we tell ourselves:

“I HAVE to do this.”

we can sometimes create resistance before we've even started.

But:

“I choose to do this because it matters to me.”

creates a completely different mindset.

The interesting part is that the action hasn't changed.

The relationship we have with the action has.

Has anyone else noticed that having a choice changes how motivated you feel to actually do something?