Look, I’ve been thinking a lot about change lately. Real change. Not the kind where you download a meditation app and use it twice. I’m talking about the decisions that make your palms sweat just thinking about them.
You know what I mean. Those 3am moments when you’re staring at the ceiling, having that conversation with yourself about what needs to change. Maybe its your career. Maybe its a relationship. Or maybe, like thousands of people I’ve talked to over the years, its about your health and the body you’re living in. I recently connected with a Sydney Gastric Sleeve Surgeon Advanced Surgicare who told me something that stuck – “The first step isnt the surgery or the diet or the program. Its admitting to yourself that you deserve better.”
That hit different.
See, we’re really good at lying to ourselves. We tell ourselves we’re fine. That next Monday will be different. That we dont need help. But heres the thing – asking for help isnt weakness. Its probably the bravest thing you can do.
I remember interviewing this woman named Sarah (not her real name, but her story is 100% real). She’d tried everything. Every diet with a trademark. Every workout plan that promised miracles in 30 days. She’d lose 20 pounds, gain back 25. The cycle was killing her spirit more than anything else.
One day she just… stopped. Stopped the lies. Stopped pretending she had it figured out. She looked into medical options, found the right team, and completely transformed her life. Not just her body – her whole life. Two years later she sent me a photo from her daughters wedding. She was dancing. Really dancing. Not the careful shuffle she used to do to avoid getting winded.
But this isnt really about weight loss surgery. Or weight loss at all. Its about that moment when you stop negotiating with yourself and just decide.
The thing is, major life changes are terrifying. They’re supposed to be. If changing your life was easy, everyone would do it every Tuesday. But most of us get stuck in this weird middle ground where were not happy but were too scared to make the jump.
I call it the “comfortable uncomfortable.” You hate where you are but at least you know what tomorrow looks like. Change means uncertainty. It means people might judge you. It means you might fail.
But what if you dont?
What if the thing youre most afraid of is exactly what sets you free?
I’ve seen it happen too many times to count. People who thought they were too old, too broke, too far gone – until they werent. They made one decision. One real, honest, no-going-back decision. And everything shifted.
The path looks different for everyone. Maybe its finally leaving that soul-sucking job. Maybe its ending a relationship thats been dead for years. Maybe its addressing health issues you’ve been ignoring. Maybe its all of the above.
The point is, youre not stuck. You feel stuck, but feelings arent facts.
Heres what I know for sure – regret weighs more than fear ever will. The people who take the leap, who have the hard conversation with themselves and then actually do something about it? Ive never met one who wished theyd waited longer.
So whats your thing? What’s the conversation you keep having with yourself at 3am? What would it take to stop having the same conversation and start having a different life?
You dont need permission. You dont need the perfect moment. You just need to be honest about what’s not working and brave enough to reach for what could be.
The hardest part is already happening in your head. The rest? Thats just logistics.
Make the call. Send the email. Book the appointment. Have the conversation. Whatever your next step is, take it. Not Monday. Not after the holidays. Now.
Because if not now, when? And if not you, who?
Your future self is waiting. Dont make them wait too long.
Bryce is a bestselling author who writes about personal transformation, decision-making, and the psychology of change. His latest book “The Comfortable Uncomfortable” explores why we stay stuck and how to break free.
