Accolades

I have been flabbergasted by the last couple of books I have been reading.  Normally I like to have a highlighter with me and highlight things that stand out.  I really have refrained for the most part from doing that with these books because as far as I was concerned just about every sentence was amazing and worth highlighting.  I would have had a couple of books almost completely highlighted.
The latest book I am reading is not like that, but as far as I am concerned every now and then it has a sentence I find challenging and potent.  It is called “Change and Growth.”  Concerning change it said something like “sometimes for change to occur, the pain of not changing has to be greater than the pain of changing.”
Like most I imagine, I have seen evidence of this firsthand a number of times.  What immediately comes to mind is someone close to me changing in an instant.  It really never occurred to me that change would happen.  I think they had news from their doctor.  For almost a lifetime they acted one way, and the day after they acted another.
The example from the book was someone who lived on an unhealthy diet.  They were told that unless they changed, they were headed for disaster.  In this instance the pain of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle had to be weighed against the pain of getting off the couch, getting some exercise, and eating differently.
Painful for sure but put against the pain of “the end’ it was seen to be less painful and so worth doing.
Why this has meant so much to me is that I live with a lifetime of mediocre results.  Others may think that I achieve heaps, and I may by some standards, but my standards are not set by the expectation of my contemporaries.  The accolades of others are gratefully received, but there are other accolades I am looking for too.
The point is I want to achieve.  Is the pain of the familiar more than the pain of the unknown?  I reckon a tipping point is at hand.