If you've ever played tennis, you remember practicing on your own for a while, hitting the ball over and over, and doing your best to get it over the net. Perhaps, at some point, you even took a lesson. Your instructor taught you the right way to hit the ball, and you found that the new technique put a lot more power behind your swing.

But then you had a match against someone else. The going got tough, and what happened? You went back to the old swing that you were familiar with. It didn't work as well, but it felt better. It felt like you, but it probably lost you the match.

All of us have a tendency to resort to what is familiar. Change provokes anxiety. We resist unfamiliar new situations, whether it's something as significant as a new relationship or as simple as a different way to get home from work.

Procrastination is a great example of this. When we procrastinate, we are essentially avoiding something uncertain or uncomfortable. I find it always works best to do the most difficult job first, so the anxiety of what I have to do doesn't hang over my head for any longer than it has to.

For more insight on why we resist personal change, check out this fantastic article: Why Is Personal Change So Tough to Do? I think it will help a lot of you.