Insight + Action = Change

I was talking to a friend of mine the other week when they said something along the lines of: “I hope I’ll remember all the lessons I’ve learned during lockdown”, and I think my response went something like this: “You’ll only remember the lessons, if you do something about them”.

Besides absolutely relating to the sentiment of their statement, this very short interaction stayed with me because it goes right to the core of what I call the illusion of change, which we are all subject to every now and then. Very simply, the illusion of change implies that once we become aware of something, of a problem, of a solution, that this will immediately translate into us feeling better, or being “fixed” or “healed”. This illusion takes place because when we get an insight about something, we tend to experience a slight high, a hit of something good and clear. It’s like finally turning the light on in a room that was previously dark. It’s a light bulb moment, or an aha! moment, or a catharsis. It’s a release of something, and that’s why it feels good. It’s also why we get tricked into thinking that the problem is solved.

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