The Objections We All Have When It Comes to Change

The moment you feel the desire to change something in your life, your mind starts listing reasons why you shouldn’t.

First came the thoughts. The familiar ones. Maybe you recognize them:

I have a mortgage. I’m too old. I’m not just going to throw away my career. We have a child. I’m used to my high income. I can’t do that. I’m not that brave. I’m not like you/her/Floortje Dessing. My family lives here. I want to live in a bigger house. And my personal favorite: My time will come.

These are not facts.

They are protection mechanisms.

Your brain loves certainty. Predictability. Control.

So the moment you feel something that lies outside the familiar, your mind starts talking.

Not to stop you. But to keep you safe.

Only… safety and growth rarely live in the same place.

I wanted to learn kickboxing and went to train for a month in a Thai kickboxing camp — alone, and without any experience. There were plenty of objections, both before and during. I had the time of I had the time of my life. And sore muscles. Very sore muscles.

You don’t have to push those thoughts away.

And you don’t have to believe them either.

You can simply see them for what they are: old stories. Old decisions. Old identities.

You can allow yourself to feel again. And ask different questions.

Not: That’s impossible. But: Do I actually want this?

Not: That will fail anyway. But: What happens if I keep ignoring myself?

Because this is what often happens:

People don’t stay where they are because they want to.

They stay because they once chose it. Because they invested in it. Because it makes sense. Because it feels safe.

Until, years later, they wonder:

Was this really it?

Many people postpone that feeling for years. Until later. Someday. When life gets quieter.

Sometimes… only on their deathbed.

When they think:

I spent so much time on things that didn’t really matter. I postponed so much. I lived so little according to what truly mattered.

You don’t have to turn your whole life upside down. You don’t have to prove anything.

You don’t have to be brave.

You only have to be honest.

What do you, underneath all the objections, truly want right now?