You want to transform? Be a different person? Get in line, pal.

Truth is, humans don’t change themselves. Not reliably at least. Ever tried telling yourself to do something? Yeah.

Yet we change. All the time. Sometimes in tremendous ways. Mostly by circumstance.

Well… what if you carefully designed your circumstances? There are three ways I’d like to discuss today.

Option #1: Change your physical location

Ever been to a group exercise class? If you have, you’ll know the sudden increase in discipline that accompanies it. Being around others struggling towards the same goal can be incredibly motivating.

The point is to place yourself in a physical location where you need to transform in order to thrive. Getting a job as a bartender will do more for your social skills than any online course ever could. Same goes for mountain hikes and mental toughness. The list goes on and on. It just works.

Option #2: Change your goals

Before you try to run, have somewhere to run to. The desire to reach a destination has a way of naturally transforming us. Every decision to make progress gets the convenient “I have to do this in order to get to X” reasoning behind it.

Some of the things you desire are best achieved as a side-effect of reaching a destination. Best of all, you’ll probably get a whole bunch of other good stuff along the way. The problem with overly specific goals is that they ignore the way humans normally change — organically while adapting in a general direction.

Option #3: Change your commitments

Many of us care about how we are perceived by others — it’s seemingly hardwired in us from our tribal days. Normally it tends to cause all sorts of trouble. But its power can be used for good!

Telling your close ones of your goals, and how you plan to reach them has a way of making things real. The type of person you tell has different effects. Some people are rivals – if you’re stubborn, proving these rivals wrong can fuel your determination. Others are supporters – your success is their success. Knowing that they share in your success makes victory even sweeter. Engaging both types is ideal, giving you something to run from and something to run towards.

All of these options share something: you are rewarded for transforming and punished for staying the same.

To end, I’ll leave you with some questions to ponder:

• Consider the people you admire. What environments produced them?
• What is your current environment reinforcing or punishing?