Writers 
We all have something we know we should change.
It could be a habit, an attitude, the kind of people we spend time with, the way we respond to certain situations, or even the way we think. Sometimes we genuinely want to change, yet somehow we find ourselves doing the same things again and again. So why is change so difficult?
One reason is that bad habits can come with immediate pleasure or satisfaction. We may know that something is not good for us in the long run, but in the moment, it feels good, easy or familiar. That immediate reward can make it difficult to choose what is better for us later.
This is one of the interesting things about habits. We don't always repeat something because we have carefully decided that we want to keep doing it. Sometimes we repeat it simply because we have done it so many times that it has become familiar.
And familiarity can be powerful.
I also think people are sometimes more afraid of what they will lose by changing than they are afraid of change itself. Changing may mean leaving certain people behind, giving up something comfortable, admitting that the way we have been living is not working, or stepping into something we are not familiar with.
That can be uncomfortable.
Someone may want a different life but still be attached to the habits, relationships or environment that belong to their current life. They want the result of change without necessarily wanting everything that change may require from them.
And this is where discipline comes in.
Wanting to change is a good beginning, but wanting something and consistently working toward it are two different things. If a habit has been built over time, replacing it may also take time. We may need to deliberately create new habits instead of simply telling ourselves to stop the old ones.
Our environment matters too.
The people we constantly associate with can influence what we think is normal. The conversations we repeatedly hear, the information we consume and the people whose lifestyles we admire can gradually shape us.
There is a saying that if you have five foolish friends, you should count again because they are six. The point is simple: association can influence identity.
When we constantly behold certain behaviours, attitudes and ways of thinking, they can begin to look normal to us. We may eventually start becoming what we spend so much time around.
That doesn't mean we have no personal responsibility. We still make our own choices. But it is easier to become something when we are constantly surrounded by it.
This is why changing your environment can sometimes be part of changing yourself.
The good news is that change is possible.
It may require hard work. It may require discipline. It may require changing your circle, your routines and even some of the things you allow into your mind. It may also require falling back into an old habit sometimes and choosing to get back up instead of deciding that you have failed completely.
So when someone says, “This is just who I am. I can't change,” I would honestly ask, “You don't want to change, or you really believe you can't?”
Because those are two different things.
You may not be able to change everything about yourself overnight, but you can make different choices. You can build different habits. You can become more intentional about the people around you and the things you repeatedly expose yourself to.
Change may not be easy, but difficult does not mean impossible.
Sometimes becoming a different person begins with something as simple as deciding that you are no longer satisfied with remaining the same.