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5 Signs of Low Change Fitness

What are the 5 signs of low change fitness? If you hear comments like these from a client, it is likely a symptom of a change fitness problem.

  1. ‘I’ll get around to it’ – Procrastination is a sign of low change fitness. In this problem the person is stuck at a stage of the change process and they are unable to move forward. They might know what they ought to do, but they never actually manage to start it. There’s always a reason not to begin – the time is never quite right, they never feel ready, there’s just too much to do. They are afraid to act.
  2. ‘It was too hard for me so I had to give up’ – this problem derives from a misunderstanding of the change process and a fear of failure. To this client, failure means they are not good enough to succeed, and indicates they are not meant to change. The real problem is not that change is too difficult and messy; it’s that they lack the change fitness to succeed at the challenge.
  3. ‘I never had the opportunity’ – we don’t all have the same opportunities, but this comment can be a symptom of opportunity blindness. Have you ever known someone who stared opportunity in the face, yet couldn’t see it. Some people can’t see any viable options, so they just make excuses as to why they can’t change.
  4. ‘I wasn’t sure what to do’ – many people don’t change because they are confused about what to do. They have too many options, and they become overwhelmed. Which one is best? What if I pick the wrong one? How do I work out what to do? In the end, they do nothing because choosing is too hard.
  5. ‘It’s just not me’ – people dismiss success stories because they are different from other people.  What works for others doesn’t work for them because they are different. This is just an excuse not to try.

These sort of comments is how people with low change fitness justify not changing. It lets them off the hook, at least in their minds. But unless they do something to improve their change fitness, they will always be telling stories like these.

You can help clients develop more change fitness. Change fitness coaches are trained in how to do it. If you would like to learn how to help your coaching clients develop their change fitness, contact me or the change fitness coach who directed you here.

Written by Dr Steve Barlow

Steve Barlow
Author: Steve Barlow

Steve heads up The Change Gym. He is a change readiness specialist. You can contact him at steve@thechangegym.com.