How do we go about creating change? That can be a complex question. So many of the things we want to change we feel like we have little to no control over. That smoking habit, that phobia that we’ve had forever, that tendency to procrastinate. Whatever it might be.
But I’d like to suggest that the first step is actually contained in that very first desire. Simply put, the first step to making change is to want to change. This might sound simplistic, but I promise you it’s true. There are countless people who see hypnotherapists because their doctor has told them to quit smoking, but they don’t really want to quit for themselves. Not yet anyway. And when it comes to things like phobias, they can become entrenched in our identity in small but significant ways. As one of my first hypnotherapy teachers once told me, ‘The first rule of phobia club is – tell everyone about your phobia.’ We become attached to our phobias as they become part of how we see ourselves, even if we don’t particularly want them. We sometimes wear our dislikes and neuroses with a strange badge of pride.The technical term for this is ‘secondary gain’, and basically means that our problems, despite being problems, do something for us.
The other big step to creating change is, simply, to take the first step. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind and all that. Or, as another teacher once told me, ‘Nothing changes if nothing changes’. You have to take the initial plunge. Maybe that will involve seeing me (I’d love to see you!), or a different kind of therapist. It might involve some other action all together.
And I’m on this journey too. Chameleon Hypnosis has been a dream I’ve had for a while, and I’m excited to be taking the plunge into running my own business.
So whatever change you want – and I mean really want, come and join me, take the first step – and take the plunge!
