How to Overcome the Resistance to Change

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 41

How to Overcome the Resistance to Change

Among the hundreds of people waiting to visit Mahatma Gandhi was a mother and her young son. When it was their turn, the woman asked Gandhi to speak with her son about eating sugar. Gandhi asked her to come back in two weeks. 

When they returned Gandhi spoke with the boy, who agreed to begin working to eliminate sweets. After thanking Gandhi for his advice, the mother asked him why he did not offer his advice the first time. 

Gandhi replied, “Upon your visit two weeks ago I too was eating sugar.” He then explained he could not speak of or teach her son to not eat sugar if he himself had not taken that journey. 

So what this means is that whatever changes you would like to see in our society has to begin with you. 

The same is true with sustainability. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode #41 which is called: How to Overcome the Resistance to Change.

If you have been listening to my podcast episodes then you already know how I live. I am 100% off grid, everything is run off of solar, we have a greenhouse and raise a lot of our own chickens and turkeys.  In fact, I have owned my off grid property for 25 years.  

Now I will have to say that when I started down this road, sustainability was not the first thing I had in mind. I simply wanted to live off grid, build a log cabin, live as close to nature as possible, be as independent as possible, and live in a nice, quiet and peaceful place. At the time I bought this property and started working on the first cabin, all of my friends and family literally thought I had lost my mind. Fast forward 25 years and numerous improvements later, most people that I know want to come spend time there and they are amazed at what I have managed to accomplish. And the end result of all of this is that I now have a comfortable place to live that is 100% off grid and sustainable. 

Additionally, in our ever changing world, I have to say I am so happy I have the place that I do. And yet I sit there sometimes and ask myself why more people do not make attempts to do the same thing. I did mention some of these things in E37 Sustainability is Your Best Security Blanket. 

By the nature of what I do as a veterinarian, I work in several different hospitals. No matter where I go, I see the same pattern of behavior over and over again. And that is a pattern of tremendous waste. Some hospitals I go to are better than others about recycling. But overall I see a pattern of tremendous waste. 

For example, when there are staff meetings, the hospitals have food delivered. And of course that food all comes in disposable containers, and most often that is plastic. Every single morning, 90% of the staff walk in with something from the local cafe or coffee shop, all of which is in disposable containers. Then at lunch, 90% of the staff order take out food, all of which is in disposable containers. And I see this day after day after day. All the while no one seems to care about just how much waste they are producing. 

So I ask myself, what will it take to make all of this change? My younger sister and I have had numerous conversations about this very thing. She is a psychologists and of course it is her profession to deal with people that need to make changes in their lives. Consequently, we have had numerous conversations about the difficulties of getting people to change their ways.

I do have trouble understanding this at times because I am one of those weird people that thrives on the challenge of change and the new and exciting things it brings into my life.  I fact  I go through a very predictable cycle of changing my life around about every 5 years because I want to make sure I am headed in the right direction.  

So, back to this thought process of all the waste that I see every day. The first thought that comes into my mind is just how much money these people must be spending every month on take out food. Now I know that I must make 2 to 3 times the amount of money they do and yet I constantly bring left overs to work and I eat restaurant food maybe once of twice a month at the most. 

So the first thing I did is take a coffee pot to work with all the supplies to make coffee everyday when I was there. Now I do not use an electric coffee pot at home because I use a coffee press. So I had this coffee pot in my storage shed. I really took it to work for my own convenience not theirs. But I also wanted to see just how many people would take advantage of that resource. 

As everyone was coming into the clinic one day, all with coffee in their hands, I asked how much they paid for these coffee drinks from the cafe across the street. They said anywhere from $3 to $5 depending on what it was. Then I held up my coffee cup and said,”Wow, this cup of coffee cost me less than 2 cents. Then the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next week and the week after that, and the week after that, I regularly reminded everyone that I have a coffee pot in the office that anyone could use. 

Take a guess how many people took advantage of that resource. Take a guess of just how many people took advantage of a 2 cent cup of coffee versus a $3 to $5 cup of coffee. And the total is………………zero. 

Now obviously I realize this is a very simple seemingly insignificant example. But it illustrates a good point. I offered a simple solution to a pattern of behavior that daily results in wasted money and more waste in the environment. Now just to be fair I must say the this particular hospital is far better about recycling than any place I have ever worked in.  But as I have said before, recycling should be your last resort. The best option is not to produce the waste in the first place.  

Anyway, back to my illustration. I offered an easy, simple solution to solved two problems: wasted money, more waste in the environment. I even offered the equipment and resources to solve those problems AND offered them for free. And how many people took advantage of that? Zero???

Now being one of those weird people that thrives on challenge and change this is hard for me to understand. Living off the grid the way I do I am always reading, researching, experimenting and attempting to learn new ways to do things that are easier, more efficient, and makes for less work. So when I learn something new I take advantage of that. Consequently, I find it difficult to understand why others are not the same way especially when you try to save them money.

Allow me to give you another example. 

About 10 years ago I was hired by the President and CEO of a non-profit organization to come in and completely restructure a veterinary hospital. This non-profit organization has an animal shelter and a veterinary clinic. The problem was that the veterinary clinic side of the business was consistently loosing money to the tune of $10K or more monthly. The board of directors was considering closing the clinic unless it could be turned into a profitable business.  Thus the reason for hiring me. 

When I first got there and first met Barbara, we had a lot of candid conversations. I could walk into her office any time and talk about anything. After the first few weeks of being there, I told her that I had some solid ideas of how to change things. The first question I asked was whether or not I would have her full support because the changes I was going to make would most likely result in a huge staff turn over. She said she gave me her full support especially if it meant the clinic would start making money. 

So…………………long story made short. I slowly started implementing changes. Over the course of a year or so, the clinic went from consistently loosing money to consistently making a profit. All the changes resulted in a 90% turn over in staff.  This was even after numerous staff meetings and advising everyone that if the clinic did not start making money it would be closed and they would be out of a job. Even with that notice, 90% of the staff was so resistant to change that they eventually resigned.  

Why is it that people are resistant to change even when it is obviously to their advantage? 

It is because we are hard wired to resist change. There is a part of our brain that interprets change as a threat. It even releases the hormones for fear, fight, or flight. So, your body is actually protecting you from change. And this is why when people in general are presented with a new initiative or idea, even a good one that is obviously to their advantage, they are completely resistant to any sort of change. 

The same is true when is comes to getting people to change their habits and lifestyles that are destructive to the environment. So, try it. I dare you. Do as I did. Offer a simple change that will save people money, offer them better job security, and is better for the environment and wait and see the result. Wait and see if people will voluntarily change. 

I am willing to bet the answer will be no!!! 

Yet it is so obvious that change is needed. 

As I said in E39 There is absolutely no doubt that human activity has triggered a vast cascade of environmental problems.  And those problems now threaten the ability of both natural and human systems to thrive and flourish. Solving all of the problems of climate change, global warming, water scarcity, pollution, and loss of biodiversity are going to be the biggest challenges of the 21st century.

I think by now that many people know that. So, why do we still go about our business as if nothing is wrong? It is because we are resistant to change. We are not going to change until we absolutely have no choice and even then we may die first. As my sister astutely said, “It is as if we are going about our business and we pass a sign that says, ‘Danger, cliff ahead.’ and the only thing we do is look at each other and say, ‘It hasn’t happened yet.’”

All of this of course begs the question of exactly how do we make changes and how do we convince others to change?

Basically, some of the tips I will discuss here are nothing new. These are very basic concepts but surprisingly difficult to implement.

You Must Change First 

First of all, as Mahatma Gandhi so well stated, whatever changes you wish to see in our society must begin with you. And what that means is that you must commit to changing yourself both in action and in words. And this is essentially about replacing old habits with new ones. But as you know this can be very difficult at times. For example, think about how difficult it can be to adopt a new diet and stick with it. Think about how easy it is to slip back into your old ways. 

It is a matter of making some changes a little at a time, one step at a time. And this is something I have mentioned in some previous episodes about adopting more sustainable habits. Make one simple change at a time and stick with it. But there is no doubt that if you expect others to change, you have to be the first one to do so. And not only that, you have to demonstrate the importance of that change. 

And as far as I am concerned, the commitment to live a more sustainable life has no days off. There are no excuses. If this is what you are committed to do then your every action should be a reflection of your beliefs. Let every word be a reflection of your thoughts. Additionally, allow your lifestyle to reflect what you believe.

There are so many people that hear me talk about how I live and so many people that have questions about how I live. But nothing makes a better impression than when they come to my place an actually see it.  Everything that I’ve built, every system I’ve put into place is simply a reflection of what I believe. And this makes a huge impression on people when they actually see where I live. It is one thing for me to talk about it but quite a different situation when people actually see it.  

The best leaders the world has even known are the ones that were accountable and responsible for their own change. Even as individuals we are responsible for everything that we do and everything that we don’t do. Taking responsibility for that is the first step for yourself and is something you must do if you expect others to change as well. So when friends and family come over for a visit, your lifestyle and home should be a direct reflection of the sustainable choices that you have made. 

If you want to see change, you must start from within. It is truly that simple and that profound. 

Have the Right Attitude

If you expect others to change, you must first have the right attitude. When talking with people about living sustainably, and getting them to change their habits, you must simply have a great attitude and not be negative or forceful. Your attitude and how you convey a message is sometimes more important than the message itself.

A couple of weeks ago I was working in a hospital that I go to only occasionally. This hospital does some recycling, more so than most.  They even have recycling bins around the clinic.  Quite unintentionally, I tossed a plastic item in the garbage instead of the recycling bin. One of the staff members literally yelled at me.  I politely explained that my infraction was an unintentional mistake. Wow. Talk about the wrong attitude.

Share What You Have Learned

After 25 years of living off the grid, I am still learning new things. In fact, over the past year of producing podcast episodes, I have learned a tremendous amount of about additional things I could be doing to be more sustainable. I am constantly reading about new topics and when I learn something new I immediately try to implement that in my life.  

Let me give you something to think about. As a way of life, adopt the attitude of continuous improvement through education. This way you can leverage the one thing you aways control: how you use your mind to develop yourself.

Personally I enjoy learning. It is stimulating and also gives me a new perspective on things. But as you learn new things, then share that with others and show your enthusiasm for what you have learned. There is no better way to get people’s attention because people will stop and listen.  

Get Off Your Soap Box

At first you would think that simply telling people what to do and why would be enough. But most of us don’t like to be told what to do. We want to be in control of our own choices. Our COVID pandemic is a great example. 

Public health organizations were tasked with the challenge of changing people’s behavior by mandating things such as social distancing, sheltering in place, washing your hands, and wearing face masks. Their resolution to this problem was basically to bark orders and tell us these things were mandatory. In other words, they were relying on the standard approach to drive change: Tell people what to do. 

And as you and I both know, this was not effective. People were still congregating, not wearing face masks, not staying at home, etc. There were even numerous protests. This is a good example that a lot of people not only ignore directives but even push back against them because we don’t want to feel as if someone is controlling us. So we raise our defenses and avoid or completely ignore the message.  

But what you can do instead is simply point out the obvious need for change and pose questions instead of making statements. For example, when I see someone day after day coming into the clinic with to go coffee in a plastic cup here is what I could do. I could simply ask several questions. For example: Do you always recycle? Do you know if that plastic cup is recyclable? Did you know that recycling should be your last choice not your first one? It is better to not produce the waste in the first place. 

By simply asking questions instead of talking mandates, you stimulate someone to think instead of raising their defenses.You also highlight a gap in the way they are thinking and hopefully this will get them to change their behavior. So they may purchase that coffee in a plastic to go cup thinking “Oh I can always recycle this cup” when they should think about not producing that piece of waste in the first place. 

Create a Burning Platform

One of the easiest things you can do that is effective is to simply communicate a compelling need for change. Some people refer to this process as creating the “burning platform”.

The most recent example I saw of this was a 15 minute video presentation by National Geographic. The presentation was about how several river basins in the American West were drying up due to warmer temperatures, less precipitation, less winter snow pack, and chronic over use. The simple truth is that unless this changes, the water supply that over 40 million people depend on is going to run dry. That is creating a burning platform. In this example there is obviously a compelling need for change. 

The point being is that if people understand what the problem is and why they cannot continue in their present behavior, the majority of people will accept the need for change. 

Three Steps to Overcoming the Psychological Cost of Change

The last thing I want to mention is a little bit about overcoming the psychological cost of change. We have already established that we are hardwired to resist change because most of us perceive change as a threat. However, by focusing on three things we can easily overcome the psychological costs of change. 

-The first thing is dissatisfaction with the way things are now. This is something I have seen in my own life on several occasions. I too am guilty of not wanting to change because I was comfortable and secure with where I was at. But it was my growing dissatisfaction with my situation that eventually led me to make changes regardless because I felt I could not continue with the way things were.  

-The next thing to do is produce a positive vision for the future. Resistance to change can be overcome more easily if you focus on what life is going to be like after the changes have been made. 

-And the last thing of course is to create concrete steps to make the vision a reality.

Former US President Woodrow Wilson once said, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” 

Sometimes it is interesting to observe the differences between cultures as far as how society works and how changes are made. I was talking about this with some friends of ours that spend half of their year in Mexico and the other half in Colorado. They told us that one day the Mexican government announced that in one month they were banning single use plastic bags. So in one month you had no choice but to acquire reusable bags for grocery shopping, etc. One month later, single use plastics bags were a matter of history. And that was that. The change was made and you had not choice but to adapt. 

And then we laughed because if that were to happen in the United States there would be complete and total out cry, demonstrations and protests, and maybe even lawsuits despite the obvious benefits for implementing such changes.  

Summary

In closing I just want to do a quick summary. 

-If you expect things to change, you must change first. You must commit to changing yourself both in actions and in words. 

-Have the right attitude. Don’t be negative and forceful. 

-Share what you have learned. Make a commitment to keep learning things about living sustainably and then share that new knowledge. 

-Get off your soap box. Instead of issuing directives and demands, which threatens most people, simply ask questions. This will tend to make people think instead of raising their defenses.

-Create a burning platform. In other words, communicate a compelling need for change. 

-And lastly, engage the three steps for overcoming the psychological costs of implementing change: A dissatisfaction with the way things are presently, produce a positive vision for the future, and create concrete steps to make the vision a reality. 

I want to close by quoting something from Margaret Mead, who was a cultural anthropologist, author, and public speaker back in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Margaret said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.