A.I.M.: The Powerful 10-Step Personal and Career Success Program

Chapter 3. (Un)Willing and Able? Starting Your Journey through the A.I.M. Process

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

—LaoTzu, Chinese philosopher

Everyone talks about change. Just take a moment to count the number of times you, or someone around you, starts a sentence with some version of "wouldn't if be great if . . . ?" Our desire for improvement, for forward motion, is widespread because we are all creatures of change. As a species, we have grown and survived over the millennia because of our constant spirit of questioning, self—improvement, invention, and innovation. On a personal level, the first few decades of our lives are years of gradual progression and continual change. We grow physically The way we see the world changes as our outlook matures. We progress through an education system that expands our minds and gives us, along with our families and peers, knowledge and skills we carry through the rest of our lives.

But for some reason, as adults, many of us stop making change happen and shift merely to talking and thinking about it. The desire for a better life, a more rewarding career, a different place and circumstance for our families and ourselves is still there. But actually acting to change things—especially in a major way—becomes overwhelming for many of us.

And this resistance to change does not rest simply with the individual. If it were easy to change businesses, management consultants would not be so busy. If it were easy to change ...