"You will suddenly realize that the reason you never changed before was because you didn't want to"

Personal transformation often appears elusive, as though change is a mountain only the most disciplined can climb. Many individuals spend years battling the same habits, distancing themselves from goals they claim to value. Excuses find their way into daily existence: time, circumstances, external obstacles, or a belief that transformation requires waiting for the “right moment.” Yet, beneath the surface, change is seldom a matter of capability. The most critical factor, Schuller suggests, is desire.

While it’s common to claim that we wish to improve, our true wants become evident through persistent actions. Procrastination, resistance, and stagnation are not the product of insurmountable limitations, but rather, a lack of genuine intent. It is easier to believe that outside factors prevent progression than to admit a lack of willingness to leave behind comfort, even if that comfort comes from familiar discomforts. The subconscious mind often protects the status quo because moving forward promises uncertainty, risk, and vulnerability.

Sudden realizations, as mentioned by Schuller, can be powerful turning points. When someone acknowledges, perhaps painfully, that inaction stemmed not from inability but from unacknowledged reluctance, it becomes a catalyst for true change. This moment shatters illusions, stripping away the blame we place on circumstances or others, and returns agency to its rightful owner: the self. Accepting responsibility for our own readiness exposes an empowering, though sometimes uncomfortable, truth: change becomes possible the instant one genuinely chooses it.

Recognizing that desire, not fate, is the decisive ingredient in transformation liberates us from passivity. No longer shackled by excuses or false perceptions, a person becomes capable of intentionally reshaping life’s direction. The realization is sobering yet liberating, ultimately, change is a door unlocked from within, requiring only the will to open it.