If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but few of us are living our best lives. If your life is perfect in every way, high five, stop reading now. Now for the rest of us mere mortals, we will address the need for change. Everyone has heard the famous saying, the definition of insanity is going the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So if you are looking to change your life, you will need to change your actions.
I’m writing this the first week of January, and like a lot of people, I’m taking this time to set new goals for the coming year. I’m looking at the places in my life that I want to improve. I’m making commitments to myself and creating new actions.
Setting a goal is the first step; it’s creating that intention. But where many people get lost is in steps two and three- taking action, and making a commitment. So I’ll take you through one of my goals to show you how I am setting myself up for success.
For years I have wanted to create a habit of meditating daily. I set out reminders, downloaded the apps, read about all the benefits, and yet, I never succeeded. So I started with an intention; I believed in it. I feel passionate about, and I even took a few actions towards it. However, I was lacking the consistent action and most importantly, the commitment to my intention.
So how am I setting myself up for success this year? I printed out a calendar with all the days of the year on one page. So now I have a visual, showing me 365 chances to take action. Each day that I meditate, I highlight. So now I have created a way to hold myself accountable. I know this method works for me because I’m a perfectionist and love to cross things off a list. This is the same tactic I used to commit to exercising every day. For the last 3 years I have made exercise a consistent part of my life, and I feel better than ever!
Habits are created through consistent action. Some say it takes 30 days, others say it takes 90 days to create a new habit in your life. So if you are ready to change something in your life, it’s time to make that commitment to take consistent action over and over. Find a way to hold yourself accountable. If a calendar is not your style, you can use a planner and schedule it, set reminder alerts on your phone, or you can find a friend or coach to check in with each day or week.
Get those goals out of your head and into action. Write them down. Create a plan of action. Tap into the passion that will drive your commitment to them. Create accountability to prevent you from wandering off track. If you do wander off the path, don’t beat yourself up, get back to action and commitment, and you will eventually get there.
Change can be easy or hard, it’s all up to you following the steps. Ready for change? I’m here for you. Let’s work together and get closer to our best selves!
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