1. Fear of the Unknown 

We’ve all heard of the old proverb, “The Devil you know is better than the one you don’t”. This great fear of the unknown causes people not to take chances and to stay in situations where they’re not very happy.

 

2. Doubt Yourself

When you're contemplating making a life change you'll usually begin to doubt whether you are up for the challenge. Things can also seem a lot bigger and harder than they really are.

 

3. Isolate Yourself and Agonize Over Decisions

Sometimes when you're going through challenging times you tend to feel isolated like you're the only person in the world going through this decision. You feel you need outside reassurance that you’re doing the right thing.

 

4. Forget That You Always Have Options

Sometimes when you’re trying to make a big decision, you think you only have one choice if you don’t want to accept the current situation.

 

5. Focus on the External World

Another problem people face when contemplating change is that we tend to focus on external things to define our identity and worth (what kind of job we do, what kind of possessions we have, how much we make). We put an emotional weight on stuff like this. If we don’t have the latest t.v. system, we feel like a failure. We can’t take the risk of losing all our possessions. It’s who we are. People always ask us, "what do you do?".

 

6. Handcuff Yourself to Stuff

Along with focusing on the external world comes the fact that we cling to certain possessions, statuses, and perks we’ve been given along the way as some sort of safety net. People will "handcuff" themselves to jobs they hate with thoughts like “I'll stay until I use up all my vacation days" or "I’ll stay until I’ve got my pension". It’s the “I’ll stay until…” mentality. 

 

You Don't Have To Settle For Whatever Happens

The worst part about being afraid of change is that you can end up settling for whatever happens.  It seems less scary that way.  The truth is that this is a far more frightening way to live because you don’t have the feeling of being in control of what happens to you and you live in fear of what might happen.  Having the confidence to take action in the face of fear not only provides you with a sense of control, ultimately it will also provide you with a life full of purpose and joy.  And isn’t that really what we’re all trying to achieve?

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