Ready to Change?

Okay… We are moving into that typical time of the year that folks look to change something about their life that is perhaps missing, or overwhelming. We hear of exercise, weight loss, reading more, traveling, making time for self, and other commitments that will make next year better than this year.

The largest issue most have with anything they choose to attempt is the lack of follow through. Their habits of old are difficult to change and their resolution to be different loses the strength of commitment as time progresses.

Do you really want to change? Is that new goal a “pie in the sky” attempt to be different? How dedicated are you to the new “you”? We can stay the same and expect different results (insanity) or creep into a new skin, or we can “boldly go where we have never gone before successfully!“

Perhaps you should consider a few things about your life and habits before you jump into the new year that promises a new you!

What’s your life like today?

Let’s say you want to start an exercise or weight loss process that will give you a healthier life the longer you focus on the goal. How’s your health right now? What are the habits that produce the issues you want to address? What’s your weight today, and what do you want to aim for tomorrow?

Knowing your habits and temptations to procrastinate will help you identify the parameters of change you will need. I heard someone once say something along this line:

“If you have a problem with __________
then stay off the street where _________ is found!”
(You get to fill in the blank!)

Knowing where you are and understanding the goal you have, you need to know where will you fit the “newness” into your daily habits?

One thing to understand about this step. You can have Analysis Paralysis. Uh? This is when you spend so much time analyzing your “where” that you never move into your “doing”. Before you know it you’ve passed your magical Start Date and you delay longer and longer until another year has gone by.

Another problem is related to fear of the future because you fear the hard work or the ending results. Many have defined FEAR is “False Evidence Appearing Real”, or “Forget Everything And Run!” While that may be true for some, I have found a better acronym: “Face Everything And Rise“

What do you see your new life as once your goals are met?

It’s easy to have a false expectation of the end result. How many times have you purchased something knowing it was the magic potion to a particular issue of your life? Only to find dissatisfaction with the article and wish there was a “new and improved” item that would truly satisfy the need.

One thing I have learned is that if I have a “reward” to aim for, then that reward is the “win” for the effort I made. But it cannot be the final reward… there’s always the next step to keep improving or to hold steady with what you’ve achieved.

As we learn from many who set weight or endurance goals, once met it’s easy to quit and, as the tide tells us, what comes in must go out, or gravity, what goes up must surely come down! People will spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to get that goal met, only to quit maintaining once the magic number is achieved.

A longer view needs to be
how to maintain what we set out to achieve!

Through my IT career, when promoted or given a new position, I immediately turned a portion of my attention to what the next opportunity might be, and then aimed my focus to achieve what’s next! If you are into sales then a volume met this year is a volume to exceed next year!

How will you stay accountable?

This can be a difficult task! Being accountable means you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable to someone who will help you know if you are staying on goal and prompt you to keep your focus. Some need accountability groups, coaches, or even an app that will help you record your wins, deal with your defeats, and force you to keep moving forward.

This is probably the second stage of Fear. Someone will know your successes and failures and could judge and mark you as successful or a failure.

Perhaps the best accountability partner will be yourself. Your determined will to achieve in spite of all odds and hurdles. I’ve used this scripture from King David often to keep myself focused on what I need to do to maintain myself, or to kick myself down the road.

…David encouraged himself in the Lord his God

1 Samuel 30:6

As we often find, we are our own worst enemy… and encourager. That little voice that speaks positives and negatives in your mind need to be trained to turn the negatives to positives! That little train repeated, “I think I can… I think I can… ” until he reached the goal and his phrase became a triumphant, “I thought I could!” and he did!

A Final Thought

For everything you want to do, there is a cost associated with the attempt and the accomplishment. That weight loss goal comes with a price of learning how to change and approach diet and exercise differently. Additionally, it will cost you a new wardrobe, and, perhaps, friends who are still stuck in the old way of life.

Do we not already understand this happens with everything? When I wanted to learn to fly, there were steps to take that included reading, classes, exams (written and oral), flying with an instructor and an FAA Examiner, and finally flying by myself! But the cost of everything was not calculated early on because I got a packaged price. Piecemeal the experience and you would find the consideration of cost to be a big part of the goal. After the “win” then plane rental time, scheduled off time, and wishful purchase thoughts of my own plane showed how expensive this hobby was and it did not fit my life…

But I sure loved the trip from nothing to somewhere!

So. Approach the new year prepared for the change you want to accomplish. As I’ve said many times,

“Prior Proper Planning Prevents Problems!”