Quick Fixes Don't Work in Personal Development

Quick fixes don't work in personal development!

Most of us don't want to hear this, but - there are no quick fixes or shortcuts to personal development - or anything else worthwhile, for that matter.

The road to bettering ourselves is a long, continuous one that requires time, commitment, and self-discipline.

Of course, it is human nature to look for the quickest, easiest way to get what we want. We look for the one-size-fits-all solution to our problems.

We want to find the book, the DVD, or the program that will fix us and make everything all right - overnight - and we want it pronto!

Well, here's the reality - apart from being improbable and unrealistic, most things don't work that way.

One of the reasons they don't is that quick fixes are neither lasting nor sustainable. A quick fix for any problem is only meant to hold things together until an effective long-term solution is found. It's merely the proverbial band-aid.

Making positive, lasting changes in your life takes time, and this is why:

1. A new habit takes at least 21 days of consistent effort to set in - When we try to change a behavior/habit or implement a new one, it takes at least 21 days of consistent, repetitive behavior for it to set in. If it happens to be an addiction, it could take as long as 35 days or more. No quick fix is designed to change habits.

2. Habituation and homeostasis factors - Habituation refers to the things we do daily without having to think about doing them. Another way to put it is 'getting used to things.'

Homeostasis, a term used mainly in the context of biology, is a regulatory function that keeps an organism stable. An example would be when temperatures outdoors fall or rise significantly, our body temperature remains stable.

Psychological homeostasis works similarly by keeping you fixed in the same habits or mindsets, whether they are working for you or not. That is why it's so hard to change a habit.

Habituation and homeostasis, while they are necessary mechanisms so that you don't have to rethink how to do everything every single time you go to do it, make it very difficult for quick fixes or behavior changes to take hold permanently.

3. Certain endeavors rely on ongoing repetitious strategies in order to take effect. If you want to lose weight permanently or if you intend to have successful relationships, plan to work on it for the long haul. For instance, if you're going to lose 20 pounds of weight, you cannot do it by eating little and well for only one day. Instead, you would have to implement a plan whereby you consistently consume and expend a set amount of calories over a given period. Then, the weight would come off slowly and steadily.

Likewise, to maintain a good relationship, you can't be pleasant and agreeable with someone for one or two days and then expect to have an understanding or connection. Building a trusting, mutually fulfilling relationship would take days, months, and even years. It cannot happen overnight.

You can achieve lasting and rewarding results by working on goals slowly and steadily. By contrast, crash dieting, blitzing, cramming, or bombarding (quick fixes) will derail your efforts.

4. It takes hard work and commitment - How often have we started a new project, exercise routine, or diet plan bursting with energy and enthusiasm only to have it wither away? Too many, I'm sorry to say.

It can be challenging to stay focused and committed, so we look for a quick fix instead of buckling down and getting on with it. We will save wasted effort and heartache if we recognize that it will take time, hard work, and continued dedication to develop and improve ourselves.

Examples where quick fixes have backfired:

Who doesn't want to be rich?

➜ In 1993, Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery. She subsequently became deeply in debt to a company that lent her money using the winnings as collateral. She realized that in our culture, we tend to believe that money solves all problems, and if people had more of it, their troubles would be over. Unfortunately, when money is acquired quickly and suddenly, it can cause more problems than it solves.

➜ Evelyn Adams won the New Jersey lottery twice (1985, 1986), amounting to approximately $5.4 million. Today, the money is gone, and Adams lives in a trailer.

➜ William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security check. "I wish it never happened. It was a nightmare," says Post.

➜ Susan Bradley, a financial planner who wrote Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall, says, "People think windfalls are about money. But it's really all about change and transition ... and people need time to adjust." (i.e., quick fixes do not last, nor do they fix anything).

What happens when we crash diet to lose weight quickly?

Although much has been written lately about how losing weight quickly is unhealthy and unproductive, many still attempt it. Losing weight too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, is dangerous. We know that fad diets, diet pills, and fasting indeed induce rapid weight loss; however, they also cause you to lose muscle mass and may injure the heart and other vital organs in the process.

The answer? Instead of aiming for an overnight miracle (quick fix), opt for a sensible, nutritious eating plan and a realistic exercise regimen.

The bottom line is that personal development or self-improvement is hard work! It takes time, consistent effort, focus, discipline, and patience. Remember the work you do daily, monthly, and yearly culminates in a rewarding, successful outcome.