Why Change Feels So Hard (and How to Start Small Without Freaking Out)

Change.

Such an easy word to say… and such a tricky thing to do.

Aristotle once quipped, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.” Translation: a lot of who we are gets baked in early, which might explain why breaking habits as an adult feels like trying to teach a cat to fetch.

But here’s the thing: staying the same can be just as uncomfortable as changing. Sometimes even more so. You know that feeling when your jeans get a bit tighter, or when your bank balance doesn’t quite match your plans? Yeah, that.

I once heard someone say, “Until the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of change, then people change.” And honestly, that hits home. Either we choose to steer the ship… or the waves of change toss us around anyway.

This week, I came across a conversation about why people don’t change, and I immediately thought of our L-Plate Retiree crew. Because let’s be real: most of us know there’s something we could tweak — how we eat, how we move, how we save and invest, how we handle relationships, or how we shape our retirement days.

The problem isn’t knowing. The problem is doing.

And according to the conversation, there are five sneaky reasons why people don’t change:

• Pride — the voice that says, “I’m fine. Nothing to see here.”

• Fear — the jitters about the unknown, the uncomfortable, or losing control.

• Rebellion — that inner toddler who stamps their foot and says, “Nope!”

• Laziness — because honestly, Netflix is right there.

• Ignorance — sometimes we don’t even realise a change is needed.

I read that list and thought: yep, guilty on all counts. And maybe you’ve nodded along too.

But here’s the hopeful bit: change doesn’t have to be massive or terrifying. Change is not an event, but a process, because change is not change until it is changed. You don’t need to reinvent yourself overnight. Often, it’s about one small, doable step — swapping dessert for fruit, setting aside $50, going for a 10-minute walk, or texting someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with.

Tiny steps count. And enough of them strung together? That’s real change.

Your Turn:
Which of these five sneaky culprits — pride, fear, rebellion, laziness, or ignorance — feels most familiar to you right now?
Can you think of one tiny change you could start this week — something so small it almost feels silly not to?
If you look back a year from now, what’s one area of your life you’ll wish you’d started changing today?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts — I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you.

The Only Free Lunch in Investing

Here's the closest thing to magic you'll find in investing: diversification can reduce your risk without necessarily reducing your returns. It's often called the only "free lunch" in investing, and once you understand how it works, you'll wonder why anyone puts all their eggs in one basket.

Imagine you own shares in just one company. If that company has a terrible year, your entire investment suffers. But if you own shares in 20 different companies across various industries, one company's bad news becomes just a small bump in your overall portfolio. The mathematical magic happens because when investments don't all move in the same direction, the overall portfolio becomes less volatile.

True diversification happens across five dimensions.
Asset class diversification means spreading across stocks, bonds, real estate, and cash.
Geographic diversification protects against country-specific risks.
Sector diversification spreads across different industries.
Company size diversification mixes large stable companies with smaller growing ones.
Time diversification means investing regularly rather than trying to time the market.

The secret sauce is correlation—how investments move in relation to each other. Low correlation gives you diversification benefits. But here's the catch: during market crises, many investments that normally move independently suddenly start moving together—exactly when you need diversification most.

You don't need to own everything to get most benefits. Research shows 20-30 different holdings often provide most of the risk reduction possible. The key is meaningful differences—owning 50 technology stocks isn't diversification, it's concentration with extra steps.

For L-Plate retirees, start simple with broad market index funds that automatically diversify across hundreds of companies. As you become comfortable, add international exposure and real estate investment trusts.

L-Plate Takeaway: Diversification isn't about owning everything—it's about owning the right mix of investments that don't all move together. Start with broad, simple diversification and refine as you learn. The goal is steady, reliable progress toward retirement goals while sleeping well at night.