Wellness as an Environment: Removing Barriers to Create Lasting Change

Creating an environment for change matters. Barriers matter too.

They create growth, they reveal resistance, and they support continued change—whether we like it or not. Barriers aren’t consistent in how they show up, but they are reliable in when they appear: usually at the most inconvenient moment, when motivation is low, and energy feels thin. Their job?

To test our fortitude and quietly ask: How much do you really want what you say you want?

The Work We Avoid Is Often the Work That Matters Most

I’ve recently adopted a phrase you’ve probably heard floating around everywhere:

“The success you want is in the work you are avoiding.”

Annoying. Accurate. Unavoidable. Because we all have work we avoid.

Right now, the work I’m avoiding isn’t just personal—it impacts others. It’s the deep, sometimes uncomfortable work of connecting with people who are struggling to hold themselves together. Or those who look like they’re doing fine on the surface, but underneath are paddling as hard as they can to stay afloat.

And if I’m honest, the real fear underneath that avoidance is this:

What if I don’t actually know what makes people tick? That’s a heavy realization—but it’s also an important one.

One Barrier, Many Forms

Perhaps we all face the same barrier—it just shows up differently for each of us.

We all want to be the best version of ourselves. But where did that idea come from? What examples shaped it? What invisible threshold are we all trying to reach?

Our model of the world—the lens through which we see life—may be one of the biggest barriers to change.

Each of us has a unique perspective shaped by experiences, beliefs, and values. That internal model influences how we show up, how we interpret opportunity, and how we respond to discomfort.

What This Has to Do With Wellness

Wellness isn’t just about habits—it’s about perception. Our model of the world determines how we approach wellness: the attitude we bring, the action we take (or avoid), and the meaning we assign to change. Take wellness opportunities, for example. To some, they feel empowering and supportive. To others, they feel overwhelming, unnecessary, or misaligned.

Neither perspective is wrong. They’re simply reflections of different internal models.

My role—and the role of the Longevity Reset—isn’t to force change, but to gently shift perspective. To create an environment where wellness feels accessible, supportive, and integrated into real life.

Three Ways to Remove Barriers to Wellness

Through experience, I’ve noticed three powerful ways to reduce resistance and create sustainable change.

1. Make Wellness Part of Your Environment

When wellness is built into your environment, it requires less effort.

Example: If I wear workout clothes when I drop the kids off, I’m far more likely to move my body when I get home—because the barrier of changing is gone.

Environment beats motivation every time.

2. Honor the Promise You Made to Your Future Self

Willpower isn’t about forcing yourself to act. It’s about keeping a promise—to the version of you you’re becoming. That promise is an act of self-respect and self-love. And it extends beyond you. The people cheering you on are part of that commitment too. Honor both.

3. Let Time Work With You

Time is non-negotiable. We all age. We all change. Nothing stays permanent. The question is how we use the time we have. When you feel tempted to skip what you promised yourself, ask this:

Would the 70-year-old version of me be okay with this choice?

Not from shame—but from perspective. Because time will pass anyway, progress can too.

Wellness Is Built Through Support and repetition.

Here’s the good news: time is also on our side. Consistent, repeated actions—especially when supported—create compound benefits. Small, aligned steps taken daily can lead to meaningful change, as long as they create progress rather than additional friction.

Wellness doesn’t require perfection. It requires support, environment, and repetition.

Where Support Comes In

You don’t have to remove every barrier on your own. The Wellness Pillar of the Longevity Reset exists to support sustainable change—mentally, emotionally, and physically—by reducing friction and increasing access to tools that fit real life. If you’re ready to explore what support could look like for you:

Visit thenextstepconnects.com/pillars to learn more about our wellness opportunities and discover how small shifts can create lasting impact because the goal isn’t to do more.

It’s to create an environment where wellness can actually happen.

So—what does removing barriers look like for you?