I’ll Change, But Only When It Hurts Too Much

Marketing experts teach that people are more motivated by pain than they are by pleasure. If someone promises us that their product will remove a pain point, we are more likely to buy it than if they sell the positive good it provides. 

Personal transformation shares a similar pattern. People don’t change until things start to hurt too much. One person gets fit, but only after a heart attack. Another starts budgeting, but only after being crippled by debt. Another works on his marriage, but only after his wife shares that she’s considering divorce. 

Leading up to the brink of catastrophe, there are usually small pains that act as leading indicators. We usually tolerate these until we can no longer ignore the pain. It is almost like a superpower to be able to heed these early warnings and change before disaster comes. 

This week, I invite you to ponder: 

Where in my life are there early warning signs—small but tolerable pains that if ignored might eventually lead to disaster? Who do I need to become in order to avoid this outcome? What do I need to change? 

God bless,
Dan