I came across this quote while reading an article on implementing lean problem solving tools in a manufacturing environment. I hope you will take some time to think about it and enjoy it as much as I did.
“We love exploring new stuff and changing our understanding — it’s changing behavior that we find painful.”
Michael Balle
I found this interesting because I thought for a long time, that as I learned new things and my understanding of things changed, that I had automatically changed. But this is not true.
It’s only after our understanding has changed that the difficult work, that will make us uncomfortable, must begin. That is, changing our own behavior to now match our changed understanding.
Breaking old habits, doing things “the old way” sometimes impulsively and changing our responses to situations is very, very hard. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Just know that it is difficult for all of us.