Accepting the Need to Change by Prahalad Rajkumar

Why is it so hard to accept the need to change? I think this is an important question to address. Yes, self-transformation a hard battle, but without accepting the need to change, there is no battle to be fought, we languish in our less-than-ideal situation. So, once again, why is it hard to accept the need to change?

I can think of a couple of reasons. It could be that if I accept that there is an area where I should change, my ego will be badly bruised. Or it could be that my ‘weakness’ might be serving well, at least apparently. There could be several others. Here is one from my personal experience — if I admit to having a certain weakness, it translates to my being a ‘bad person’, which makes me feel miserable.

What if I could convince myself that having a weakness does not make me a bad person? This is easier said than done. When I actually admit the possession of the said weakness to myself, I am the last person I want to be with. It is much more comfortable not to delve into this business of change, self-transformation or what not, and let status quo stand.

Of course, when flaws linger, we don’t progress, either spiritually or otherwise. I found the following affirmation by Louise Hay helpful to address the problem in question:

I Love Myself

Regardless of who I am today, I love myself. Regardless of what mistakes I may have committed in the past, I love myself. Regardless of who loves me, I love myself. Regardless of anything else, I love myself. And therefore, it must follow that irrespective of what flaws I may be possessing, I love myself. When I repeat this affirmation several times over, I become comfortable with myself, and I won’t feel as bad about accepting my flaws, after which I can go about taking corrective measures. Louise recommends repeating affirmations in front of a mirror. She says that you may feel silly, or even intensely uncomfortable doing so (I didn’t for what it is worth, your mileage may vary).

What about the flip side of this affirmation? When I love myself very much, might that turn into narcissism? What about the trap of “I love myself so much, I can’t be capable of possessing any weaknesses?” A second affirmation of Louise comes into play

I am Open to Change

There we go. These two affirmations work beautifully well in tandem to help accept our weaknesses and flaws, and make it easy to accept the need to change. The battle has just begun though. Accepting the need to change is just the first step.

And taking that first step is easier when: