Some people find change challenging and would rather stay the same, experiencing the same and familiar instead of stretching themselves out. In the table below are some real reasons why people don’t change.
| Reason | Explanation | |
| Laziness | xxxxxxxxxxx | Need a rescuer (someone who will tirelessly be there to help or salvage them from their situations), not a coach. They might also be looking for a quick fix technique to handle their current position. |
| Self-Doubt/Self-Belief | They are holding onto a bunch of reasons as to why they don’t have it in them. These reasons prevent them from undertaking change. They doubt their ability to bring about change. | |
| Too hard on themselves | They beat themselves up too hard when they encounter any failure or don’t match their expectations. (Perfectionism) | |
| Thinking Styles | Indulge in unhealthy thinking styles and keep ruminating on the negatives. | |
| Self-Pride | Have an underlying belief that only “weak” people have to change, and they don’t want to view themselves as weak. | |
| External stimulus for change | They are not intrinsically motivated to change. There is someone else who is the stimulus for the change. | |
| Discomfort Level | They are not very distressed/uncomfortable by their current status quo. | |
| Bad Habits | They are stuck in some habits/patterns that can stand in the way of making necessary shifts, and they are not willing to let go of these. | |
| Security in where they are at | They derive a level of security in staying where they are because of underlying fears. Addressing fears is necessary for progress. They are not aware or unwilling to address these. Example fears could be Fear of Failure/Disappointment, Fear of Success, Fear of Uncertainty/Discomfort, Fear of having to let go, Fear of loss (people, face), Fear of Rejection/Judgment, Fear of Unintended Consequences. | |
| Fear of Failure/Disappointment | They are afraid to try and change because the possibility of failure can be too hard to take. The disappointment is too painful to bear. | |
| Fear of Success | They are afraid of the success that they might achieve. Success would mean that they might have to change their lifestyle; what they know is their current identity. | |
| Fear of Uncertainty | They are afraid of the uncertainty that comes to change. Within the comfort zone is what is known, predictable, and familiar. The possibility of what is not known can paralyze people into inaction. | |
| Fear of Having to Let go | They are afraid of having to let go of people, attachments, things that need to forsaken with the possible change. | |
| Fear of Loss of People | They are afraid that people will no longer like them after the change and that others will find the shift unsettling and leave them. | |
| Fear of Loss of Face | They are afraid that if they try and fail, people might ridicule them for attempting and not succeeding. | |
| Fear of Rejection/Judgment | They are afraid that people might judge their motives and actions harshly and without understanding. They might reject the new views, values, and thinking. | |
| Fear of Unintended Consequences | Change can bring about new consequences a person might not have considered. This can cause some people to become very unnerved. It would be better not to change or try instead of having to deal with unintended consequences. | |
| Self-Pity | They derive some pleasure in staying/playing the victim role. They like the attention (sympathy from others) that could come with playing the part. | |
| Attitude | They believe they are so deep into the “Hole” that there is “No redemption or hope” for them. | |
| Not a priority | Here people want to make the change but have other priorities. Not willing to put in the necessary time or effort at the current time. | |
| Self-Worth Issues | People don’t believe they are deserving of anything better. There internal level of self is so low that they will unconsciously self-sabotage all attempts of progress. | |
| Overwhelm | They are overwhelmed by all the things that the change could bring into their lives and cannot get themselves to get organized or apply catastrophizing thinking. | |
| Inaction | There are bombarded by negative critical voices that tell them that it is not safe to change, and this keeps them in a state of inaction. | |
| Lack of Clarity/Motivation | They are not clear about how to proceed and therefore don’t want to change. |