Fear of Change

Change – creatures of habit avoid it. Lovers of routine hate it. Protectors of tradition fear it. Second only to the fear of failure, is the fear of change. If you listen carefully, however, to the concerns of those who fear change you’ll understand there’s a deeper issue. Go past the complaints, the rationalizations, and the irrational conclusions they make about some pending change and you will discover their real fear is the fear of loss. The fear of change is really the fear of loss. People might intellectually accept the need for change but emotionally they fight it. They get stuck in their hearts not their heads – and that is where the change must take place. Those of us calling and working for change must be patient and try to understand those who fight our efforts. We must remember it’s a heart issue. Arguments appealing to logic can only go so far. We must find ways to connect to their hearts and we must find ways to address the loss they fear.