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Why Making Major Life Changes Is So Difficult

chess pieces on a board

Change seems like a relatively simple concept, but humans generally try to resist it as much as possible and find plenty of reasons why staying put and playing it safe is the best option. Making a major life change is a very stressful situation, and much of that anxiety is generated by a natural fear of making the wrong decision. It’s almost always easier not to make a big change and stick with what you know, but this doesn’t always work out for the best in the long run.

There are a variety of reasons why we are more likely to resist change than embrace it. Breaking it down to the simplest of terms, doing something is more difficult than doing nothing. Some of the reasons people choose not to make a change include not having enough information, lacking courage and the fear of failure.

Not Having Enough Information

Having adequate information to make a decision is imperative for even relatively minor things, but it’s especially important when we’re discussing life-changing decisions. It often feels like we need to do more research before we are completely comfortable saying yes to an opportunity that will change our lives in a major way.

The reality is that there is always more information out there, and you’ll probably never have 100% of the information you need to make your decision. Information does play a key role in making a major life change, but so do guessing and trial and error.

Lacking Courage

Lacking conviction in regard to big, life-changing decisions is fairly common, but having enough courage to trust yourself is critical when it comes to making major decisions. Humans in general excel at generating excuses for not making a change, and one of the main underlying reasons we are so fond of coming up with negative what-ifs and reasons not to do something is not having enough faith in ourselves.

Fear of Failure

Lots of people decide not to make a big change because they are afraid of failure and don’t know what they will do if things don’t work out. Making a plan of what to do in case things don’t work out can help ease your fears. Unfortunately, the fear of failure related to making a major change is often more influential than the fear of staying put and not being able to improve your current situation.

Making Moving Easy

Moving away from your familiar home is one major change many people make. The move often goes hand in hand with other major life changes such as getting a new job or relationship, both of which are also stressful in their own right. At the Armstrong Company, we realize that making a major life decision such as moving across the city, state or even country is one that should not be taken lightly. That’s why we pride ourselves on taking as much stress as possible out of your upcoming move.


The Armstrong Company can handle every aspect of your move, from our professional packing services to short-term transitional storage. We also handle corporate and international moves. Contact The Armstrong Company today to learn how we take the anxiety out of moving in Boston.