Whenever you look to make positive lifestyle changes you must first meet your own internal inertia. Once that is met you must manage the reactions of those around you to that change. Reactions come in many forms, but most reactions boil down to the invisible “pressure wave” that change sends out into the world you center.

This “pressure wave” is initially disruptive to the bonds between people, as intermolecular forces – i.e. attraction and repulsion – does between neighboring atoms, molecules or ions. When these bonds between people are influenced, the natural reflex is to react in some way to the perceived change.

When you change, those around you must adjust to it. Some may react favorably and actually make it easier for you to maintain your momentum, while others may oppose it (typically due to personal discomfort) and seek to derail your progress, either consciously or unconsciously. The point is that they will typically take note at some level of consciousness and begin their own adjustment process. In the process, they will either be attracted or repelled to you, by virtue of the way they choose to handle it.

At this point you need to hold steady and let the sorting out occur. Many a cycle of positive change has been aborted by reaction to these reactions, and managing your reaction to their reactions can require as much specific internal effort as making the change in the first place.