Want to Make Your Change Stick? Start Here (and It’s Not a Goal)

When you see a problem, what’s the first thing you do? Most people say one of two things:

• “I need to really understand what’s going wrong.”
• “Forget the past—I’m setting a goal and running full speed toward it.”

Both sound productive.
Both miss the real first step.

And that’s exactly why so many smart, hardworking people—people like you—end up feeling like they’re taking one step forward and two steps back. Learn all about this from me on YouTube!

The Real First Step: Awareness

You can’t create lasting change when your brain is still running an old script in the background. Those quiet beliefs that you picked up years (maybe decades) ago shape how you see every challenge, even when you think you’ve outgrown them.

Beliefs like:

• The world is rigged against me.
• I don’t belong here.
• Women are always held to a higher standard.
• No one is listening anyway.

Even when parts of these feel true, they quietly drain your momentum. You read the books, listen to the podcasts, follow the plans—and yet progress stalls. Why? Because your actions are fighting against a belief you haven’t even acknowledged.

How Hidden Beliefs Sneak In

Sometimes they show up in the smallest moments.

The other day, my little boy wanted to wear shorts to school. It was gym day, and he was so excited to run around. My immediate response?

“No, it’s not 50 degrees yet.”

That rule came straight from my childhood. If it was under 50 degrees, I was required to wear pants (I got creative to get around it. Click here to learn about that on YouTube). I didn’t choose that belief—it just slipped out of my mouth.

Now, that’s a harmless example. But if something that small can live rent-free in my head for decades, what about the beliefs that actually hold you back?

The “Spinach in Your Teeth” Moment

Awareness is like realizing you’ve had spinach in your teeth all day.

You’ve been walking around, wondering why things feel off—why people seem distracted or why opportunities keep slipping by—only to find out later that everyone could see something you couldn’t.

It’s not that no one cared enough to tell you. It’s that you weren’t looking in the mirror.

That’s what hidden beliefs do. They quietly affect how others see you—and how you see yourself—until someone helps you spot them.

And once you do see them? You can fix them. Wipe them away. Walk back into the room smiling bigger and leading clearer than ever.

Why Awareness Comes Before Action

In PROSCI’s ADKAR model for change, awareness is the very first step:

Awareness → Desire → Knowledge → Ability → Reinforcement

You can’t build desire, skill, or consistency without knowing what’s truly shaping your choices.

Without awareness:

• “I’ll speak up more” collapses into silence when “No one listens to me” runs the show.
• “I’ll aim for that promotion” fizzles if “I don’t belong here” whispers in the background.
• “I’ll act more strategically” stalls when “Women are held to a higher standard” feels like a wall.

Awareness removes the wall.

Rewriting the Script

Here’s how to turn those limiting beliefs into leadership beliefs that move you forward:

Old Script	New Script	Why It Works
“The world is rigged against me.”	“I control my story. No one else writes it.”	Restores agency and ownership.
“I don’t belong here.”	“My work speaks for itself.”	Focuses energy on visible, credible impact.
“Women are held to a higher standard.”	“I can exceed any standard.”	Turns constraint into motivation.
“No one listens to me.”	“I can make my voice heard.”	Grounds confidence in skill, not circumstance.

Once those beliefs align, the tactics—how you communicate, delegate, or influence—start to actually stick.

Awareness in Action

Try this quick exercise this week:

1. Name the trigger. What moment frustrated or drained you?
2. Write the script. What belief flashed through your mind? (“They’ll never take me seriously.”)
3. Ask: “Is this helping me advance?”
4. Reframe it. Choose a stronger belief. (“My clarity earns attention.”)
5. Prove it. Take one small action that aligns with the new belief.

You’re not overhauling your identity—you’re clearing the spinach and showing up differently.

From Awareness to Advancement

As you get clear on what’s running in the background, you stop self-sabotaging and start building traction:

• Senior leaders lean in because your presence is grounded and confident.
• Your team trusts your decisions because your communication is clear.
• You finally feel like you’re writing your own story—not reacting to someone else’s.

Ed Mylett says, you can turn the page anytime. Awareness is how you grab the pen.

Ready to Start Your Next Chapter?

If you’re ready to stop replaying the same frustrations and start moving toward the career you actually want, I’d love to help.

👉 Book a Discovery Call
We’ll find the spinach, clear the old scripts, and see what’s possible at your next level of leadership.