Note that I said real change, I'm not talking about switching from drinking Coke to Pepsi, changing political parties, switching religions, or changing your diet because of some article you read online. I'm talking about real changes, not superficial things, but deep, lasting changes that are a part of your growth as a human being. Things like becoming more loving, more compassionate, living with honesty, integrity and responsibility. Releasing fears and living freely and joyfully. How do we bring these kinds changes into our lives?
Superficial change is easy, the underlying patterns don't have to change, only the surface beliefs. Your identification with one limiting thought is just traded for another limiting thought. These kinds of changes occur all the time, once the novelty of one belief is worn out, it simply gets exchanged for another. Sooner or later though, the inherent emptiness of these types of changes becomes apparent. They're food for the mind, but they leave the Soul hungry.
So why is substantial change so difficult? Well, it's really not that difficult, or rather, it's as easy or as difficult as you make it for yourself. Most everyone has been taught to resist change, though it's largely unconscious. It's rare that a parent will tell a child directly that change is bad, but it is still taught through actions. Life becomes very structured, the same static patterns repeating over and over again, each day just like the last. Then the child goes to school, where repeating the same patterns is strictly enforced, then they get a job, and they get even more locked into this rigidly structured life.
