Change or die...

I just got back from seeing the dentist. I don't floss. Other than the moment before I head to the dental office. It's painful every time. Especially since I've got an aversion to all things metal (I try to eat with plastic cutlery whenever possible). Everytime I go they remind me to floss, and everytime I go back I wonder why I didn't. Why don't I change?

I just finished reading a Fast Company magazine I borrowed from the library. It's cover story is Change or Die. Though most of us say and think that we would change if the risks were high enough, the premise of the article is that we shouldn't count on it. Even facing death itself rarely leads to change.

It says how 80% of the 1.8 trillion dollar health care budget in America is attributed to preventable behavioral issues. Two years after having a coronary-artery bypass, 90% of patients have not changed their lifestyles.

That's nine to one odds against you ever changing. What do you think of that? You're not going to change. I shudder at the thought of it. That much of who you are is who you are. That's it. Or is it?

(You can find most of the article online here)