Introduction: The Illusion of Safety
Most people don’t change when they should—they change when they have no other choice.
It’s easy to stay in the comfort trap, believing that because nothing seems urgent today, nothing bad will happen tomorrow. You go on ignoring the early warning signs—fatigue, stress, poor diet — because the real consequences, the ones that will get your attention, feel distant. Until one day, they aren’t. Until one day, you’re sitting in a doctor’s office, hearing words that make your world stop.
At that moment, change is no longer optional. It’s survival. Literally do or die in some cases. The long dark night of reflection really hits hard.
But what if you didn’t have to wait for your darkest hour to act?
At Tony Healer Coaching, we believe health transformation isn’t just about healing after a crisis — it’s about leveraging the lessons of crisis before you’re forced to learn them the hard way. Coaching doesn’t just inspire positive action; it creates leverage — tapping into the power of pain before real suffering begins.
Don't question if you will face a painful wake-up call. Instead ask if you will act before it arrives?
This Inspired By Coaching article will challenge the way you think about health, comfort, and change. We’ll explore why most people resist action until it’s almost too late, the psychology behind this self-sabotage, and how you can break free—starting today.
Because in the end, your darkest hour shouldn’t have to be what forces you to change. It should inspire you to make changes now and avoid pain later.
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
1. The Slow-Motion Health Crisis (How Disease Creeps In The Shadows)
Responsibility for your health means acting before you’re forced to. A health crisis rarely arrives like a lightning bolt out of nowhere. It’s more like a slow leak in your foundation — easy to ignore until the damage is too great to repair.
You don’t wake up one day with chronic illness. You wake up one day realizing that years of small, seemingly harmless choices have compounded into a problem too big to ignore.
Skipping the gym today won’t hurt—but skipping exercise or movement for months or years weakens your body.
That extra drink on a night out won’t do too much damage now — but repeated late nights, excess alcohol, and nutrient depleted junk food strain your liver, gut, and immune system beyond their natural capacity.
Choosing fast food over real nutrition feels convenient but does nothing to fuel your health and longevity. Over time, it just fuels inflammation and disease.
Each choice, on its own, feels insignificant. That’s the trap. You don’t see the effects in the moment, so you keep making the same comfortable choices. Then one day, the damage catches up.
And by then, comfort has turned into crisis.
The Illusion of “I’m Fine”
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill
Most people either live an illusion of “I’m fine” or they keep ploughing through warning signs because "This too shall pass." They think as long as they feel okay today, they’re not doing any real harm. But real harm isn’t always immediate. It builds silently. People ignore the subtle early warning signs — fatigue, stress, inflammation—because they’re still “functioning.” And besides, "Im young I always recover quickly." Until one day they don't.
Think of your body like a bank account. Every unhealthy habit is a withdrawal. Every skipped workout, every processed meal, every late night is another deduction. For years, you don’t notice the balance dropping. Then one day, you’re in overdraft—and the cost is your health.
Avoiding the “How Did I Get Here?” Moment
By the time reality hits, it feels sudden and unexpected. A doctor’s warning, a diagnosis, a moment where you can’t ignore the damage anymore. But the truth is, it was always happening. You just weren’t paying attention.
The good news? You don’t have to wait for the overdraft notice. You don’t have to let your body hit rock bottom before you act.
The next section will explore why we avoid change, even when we know better—and how to break free from the comfort trap before it’s too late.
2. The Comfort Trap (Why We Avoid Change)
If logic alone were enough to drive action, everyone would eat clean, exercise daily, and prioritise their's and their families health. But knowing what’s right isn’t the problem—doing it is.
People don’t change because they don’t feel the consequences yet. There is no "need."
The Brain’s Bias for Comfort
Your brain is wired for survival, not long-term success. It prioritises immediate comfort over future rewards, which is why:
Skipping the gym today feels fine—because the consequences aren’t instant.
Junk food is appealing—because your brain craves high-calorie, quick-energy foods.
Late nights out feel worth it—because the damage isn’t obvious until it’s compounded.
Psychologists call this “present bias”—the tendency to prioritise short-term pleasure over long-term well-being. It’s the same reason people put off saving money until they’re in financial trouble.
“It Won’t Happen to Me” – The Illusion of Invincibility
Another psychological trick at play is optimism bias—the belief that bad things happen to other people, not us.
“I’ll start eating better after the holidays.”
“I know I drink too much, but I feel fine.”
“My friend smokes and they are still healthy, so I’m probably okay.”
This false confidence keeps people in unhealthy cycles—until reality forces them out.
The Power of Leverage: Using Pain Before It’s Real
So, how do you override these built-in biases? You create leverage—turning imagined future pain into an immediate motivator. Government health campaigns use this trick all the time. Remember the “Act Like You Have It” COVID 19 pandemic messaging? It was intended to influence people to behave differently by making the consequence feel real today, not just some distant possibility. Does that sound a lot like programming the mind with words? Or Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)?
In life coaching, we use the same principle to uncover the leverage for our clients. For example, you might consider deeper thinking questions like these:
Imagine your life five years from now if you don’t change. What does your body feel like? What freedoms have you lost?
Visualise a doctor giving you bad news. How will you feel knowing you could have prevented it?
Now flip it—what does life look like if you commit to change today?
Your brain may be wired for comfort, but it’s also wired to avoid pain. The key to utilising leverage in this way is making that future pain feel real before it becomes your reality.
In the next section, we’ll explore how crisis becomes the ultimate wake-up call—and how to use that urgency without waiting for disaster to strike.
Life Coaching Insight: In NLP terms, leverage means using future pain or reward to drive action now. Why wait for a doctor’s warning when you can create urgency today? You need this change now, not some day.
3. Your Ultimate Wake-Up Call (Why Crisis is a Great Catalyst)
Just like in the darkest hours of our history the world changes, so can you. Nothing cuts through the noise of life like a crisis.
“Never let a good crisis go to waste.” – Winston Churchill
One moment, you’re coasting along, making excuses, putting things off. The next, you’re staring at test results, hearing words like “irreversible damage” or “we need to act fast” or worse, "There is nothing more we can do." Suddenly, everything you once thought was important fades into insignificance. The only thing that matters now is survival. This could be you, or a loved one. At that moment, change isn’t a choice—it’s a necessity.
The Darkest Hour: When Comfort Turns to Desperation
History shows us that people don’t change when they should—they change when they must.
Governments don’t overhaul failing systems until the economy crashes.
Relationship issues aren't addressed until someone is ready to walk away.
People don’t overhaul their health until a life-altering diagnosis forces their hand.
When Winston Churchill said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” he wasn’t talking about health, but the principle applies. Crisis brings clarity. It strips away distractions and forces action.
But here’s the harsh truth: Waiting for a crisis to wake you up is one of the most dangerous bets you can make.
The Regret Loop: “Why Didn’t I Do Something Sooner?”
Ask anyone who has faced a major health scare, and you’ll hear a similar story:
“I knew I should have been eating better.”
“I kept saying I’d get in shape next year.”
“I never thought it would happen to me.”
They look back, not just with fear, but with regret — regret that they had years of warnings but ignored them because they didn’t comprehend the urgency.
And yet, if they could turn back time, they wouldn’t hesitate to make significant changes.
What If You Could Create That Urgency Now?
This is where leverage comes in. Instead of waiting for pain to force change, you can simulate the wake-up call before it happens.
Picture yourself in a future time lay in a hospital bed. (Act as if you had it?) You can’t undo the past despite begging your divine creator for a second chance.
Now snap back to reality — you still have that chance. But for how long will that door stay open to you?
The future version of you is begging you to act now. Will you listen?
The greatest transformations come from crisis—but only if you use them.
In the next section, we’ll shift gears from fear to power. If crisis is the ultimate wake-up call, then proactive action is the ultimate rebellion. Let’s talk about how to take back control before life forces your hand.
4. Taking Back Control (Creating Change Before the Crash)
You don’t have to wait for a crisis to take control of your health. You don’t have to let pain be the thing that forces you to change. The power to act is already in your hands—the only question is, will you use it?
Fear can paralyse, but it can also propel. At a Tony Robbins’ UPW event, I got to walk barefoot across burning hot coals. The firewalk isn’t really about the fire—it’s about proving that fear is a mental illusion that will stop you in your tracks if you let it. It's how you use it that counts.
Instead of fearing change, fear what could happen if you don’t.
Fear missing out on years with loved ones.
Fear looking back with regret.
Fear not having the insurance cover for specialist treatments
Fear realizing you had time—until you didn’t.
Conclusion: The Power of Leverage Before A Crisis Hits
Most people only act when their back is against the wall—but that’s not necessary. The strongest transformations come from choosing to change before you’re forced to.
So ask yourself: What’s stopping you from taking action today?
Is it the illusion of time? The belief that “I’ll start tomorrow”? The comfort of routine? Whatever it is, recognize it for what it is—a mental barrier, not a real one.
Because real change doesn’t happen when it’s convenient. It happens when you decide that waiting is no longer an option.
Drop a comment below—what’s the one change you commit to making today? Let’s hold each other accountable.
Your future self is watching. Make them proud.
To Your Success!
Tony Healer Life Coaching, NLP and Hypnosis
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