Change.
We are wired to be comfortable with repetition and routine, even if the routine is detrimental to our health and happiness. You have to want change to make it happen the way you want it to. Needing it is not enough. Even desperate need is not enough to produce change.
Once you commit to wanting change, then you can begin to plan and work on steps with some expectation of success. Working on something half-heartedly without commitment is a recipe not only for failure but for reinforcing established beliefs that have been holding you back.
How do you know whether you are truly committed to change?
- You can articulate the goal for change in a simple sentence.
- Thinking about your end goal often creates emotional and physical responses in you – you are tied to change by more than an idea.
- When you tell people about the goal for change, you are confident.
- Obstacles seem smaller, non-existent or less intimidating than they did before you committed to your plan for change.
- You can easily think of behaviours to counteract unavoidable obstacles.
- You are not swayed by others’ criticisms of or doubts about your plan.
- Initial failures make you more determined to succeed and inspire your creative problem-solving abilities.
Not feeling committed to making change happen?
- Write down and repeat aloud to yourself the change you want and need to make.
- Write down what your life is like now. How has not changing affected you?
- Write down what your life would be like if you made needed changes. Make sure to include how change would affect all areas of your life (emotional, financial, spiritual, etc.)
- List all the things you feel have been holding you back from making the changes. These could include fears, doubts, excuses, past experiences.
- Are the fears, doubts and excuses a reflection of reality? Are they insurmountable?
- What are some steps you could take to counteract these obstacles?
- What kinds of help are available to you in your quest for change?
- What are some things that should be avoided during your period of change? These are things that might distract you or make you question your commitment.
- Name some tasks or steps that you know you need to take that seem ‘too big’ for you. Break them down into smaller steps and list ways you could find support during the time you plan on tackling them.
- Acknowledge when you complete a task. Tell people, keep a journal of your successes, have a milestone party.
The more you do to strengthen your commitment, keep support systems alive, and see the importance of the effects of change, the more likely success will be for you.
Some change is inevitable, despite our adherence to routine, but we have a choice about the direction that change can take and how it affects us.
Filed under: Assertiveness, Commitment, Inspiration, Life, Life Coaching, Self Development Tagged: change, goals, planning
