It's not about Access. It's About Desire.
From fast food to slow delivery—what healthy eating and agile transformation have in common.
I will forever remember a quote I heard in church as a kiddo:
“Ya gotta have the want to.”
— Rev. Allan Oggs
I was reminded of this quote as my wife and I were helping a younger couple battle an on again/off again attempt at a Whole 30. They would start on a Monday morning, only to give up by Monday evening, for one reason or another. “We were sabotaged by cake.”
We had also been guilty in our own journey of the stalled attempts. It would be some random Wednesday night after church, and the choice we were faced with was cooking a compliant meal — or hitting the Chick Fil A drive through. I’d be lying if I said we were always strong enough to cook.
So that night when it seems our friends had failed, it wasn’t hard to be sympathetic. However, instead of just consoling them, we hit them with some life wisdom.
When my wife uttered those words, “Ya gotta have the want to,” I found myself considering what was really so difficult about change for all those failed attempts. Because change is necessary, and the fruit of it is powerful. But people, ourselves included, struggle to follow through.
Is it access to tools or knowledge?
Well, we live in a world overflowing with tools.
You want to get organized? There’s software for that.
You want your team aligned? There’s a framework and a whiteboard app for that.
You want to eat healthy?
I used ChatGPT to build me a full Whole30 meal plan—snacks, shopping lists, everything. I also had it generate a carb-loading plan for the two days before my 2025 marathon.
Took five minutes.
Access isn’t the issue.
Desire is.
Ya gotta have the want to.
Because when things get difficult, and they will get difficult, we don’t rise to the occasion—we revert.
“In times of crisis, we don’t rise to the level of our goals—we fall to the level of our systems.”
— James Clear
And most of our systems? They’re designed for ease, speed, and survival—not transformation. We miss this subtle truth: You’re not just giving up bad habits. You’re giving up the good things those bad habits quietly made possible.
‼️ The Double Sacrifice
For a long time now I have considered the idea of how modern conveniences create opportunity in our lives. Fast food has long been one of the greatest examples. Think about it…
Fast food doesn’t just feed me. It buys me time.
Time I use to read, relax, go for a run, or hang out with my wife. This time was previously filled with having to grocery shop, prepare food, cook, set the table, clean, and do the dishes. If every one of those things took 20 minutes a week, that’s 2 hour every week that I now have to fill with things. And we humans are terrific at filling those hours quickly.
So when I try to “be better” and cook a healthy meal?
I’m not just giving up 🍔burger, 🍕pizza, or God’s 🍗chicken.
I’m giving up the life that fast food made room for.
And that’s the real cost of change. Not the habit itself, but the joy, freedom, or comfort that came with it.
That’s why transformation is so hard. Because the trade isn’t just between bad and good. It’s between good now and better later. The reward isn’t immediate. The celebration is delayed. And the only thing strong enough to carry us through that tension is desire.
A desire for a future you that’s better than the sum of current conveniences.
🏢 In The Workplace
With almost all my clients, I see the same struggle play out at scale.
Leaders say:
“We want to be agile.”
So they bring in tools, frameworks, coaches. But when the real work starts…
The work of changing decision-making patterns, streamlining delivery, and empowering teams…
Progress stalls.
Why?
Because those same leaders are being asked to give up systems they’ve learned to survive in:
Slow decision-making, but with built-in safety nets
Over-governed processes, but with clear checkpoints
Overloaded teams, but with predictable timelines
To truly embrace Nimble* would mean surrendering the systems they’ve mastered — the ones that made them feel competent, in control, and safe.
People would rather be successful in a broken system than feel lost in a better one.
And unless there’s a deep, driving desire for change, the comfort of the familiar will always win.
The Way Out
Access gives you the tools.
Desire gives you the reason.
And only a clear, burning desire—for a better self or a better system—has the power to overcome both the habit and the hidden comforts it gave you. And you can’t fake desire. Even though I am giving you yet another tool, I thought I might leave you with 3 steps to crafting your “want to” momentum.
1. Name the Real Tradeoff
You’re not just giving up the habit.
You’re giving up the hidden reward it gave you.
Change doesn’t just cost the behavior.
It costs the comfort behind it.
Ask yourself:
“What would this change take from me that I’m not ready to give up?”
That question builds clarity.
And clarity fuels desire.
2. Cast the Better Version of You
If you don’t have a vivid picture of who you’re becoming, the current version of you will always win.
Write it out. Say it out loud.
What does the future you value? Do more of? Feel like? Lead like?
“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”
— Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV)
Desire grows when your future self feels more real than your current excuses.
3. Don’t Overhaul. Tweak.
In the spirit of Kanban, start with what you do now. If the future looks too big, you’ll freeze. So shrink the first step.
Don’t change the whole system—change one decision.
Don’t rewire your workflow—just automate one thing.
Don’t go full Whole30—cook one meal tonight.
Desire is built by progress, not perfection.
Small wins create momentum.
There you have it. Three moves to help you build momentum toward the better version of you—and leave the comfort of “almost” behind.
Until next time,
Keep Learning. Keep Growing.
*Nimble is a term I use that means having a quick, adaptable character. I use it primarily to stay away from “Agile” since most people have certain associations with that word.