Change Made Easier...

If you want to make a change in your life but are struggling then please read on.

According to all of the research we all struggle with change. The theory is that from birth we like a routine that we get used to and know well. Change literally pulls the rug or comfort blanket from under our inner child and we experience some level of stress.

Some of the stuff that we do does not serve us so we decide that we want to change it. We usually refer to the things that we do routinely as habits. Whilst there are good and bad habits most of the time we talk in the context of bad habits such as poor eating, exercise, communication or work.

Whatever we do continually becomes a habit. A strong emotional response can also result in a habit change such as always wearing a seat belt following a near fatal car accident during which you were not wearing a seat belt.

The first step to making a change is working out the best specific thing about the result of making that change. For example, 'I will take great delight in going to the meeting next month feeling and looking confident as I present my report. This will mean that I have more energy for my team and we can prioritise work optimally.'

For any change to work the current situation must be painful and the prospect of the future situation such as that outlined above sufficiently pleasurable for us to work to that.

Having identified your goal, you may, like many others before you, aim to go all out to achieve the goal now and in full. Perhaps you have experienced this before say with exercise and committed to going to the gym every night after work, only to give up after Wednesday.

The second step to making change stick is to take small action steps each day that move you in the direction of the goal. Using the example above the daily action steps might be taken Monday to Friday as follows and repeated each week before the next meeting

Monday - brainstorm what I need to do to achieve this goal
Tuesday - practice presenting my report with confident physiology including eye contact, taking notes, smiling
Wednesday - practice focusing on report highlights balancing good and not so good news 3:1
Thursday - practice calm tone and positive language
Friday - practice asking good questions

Repetition is really important to creating new habits. Every time we repeat an action a neural pathway is created and each repetition reinforces it. So the more you practice doing what you want the nearer you are to your goal.

Remember that it is the small things that you do each day - your good habits - that are the key to success in anything you choose to do.

If you would like help making the changes that will fulfil you in life please get in touch via www.westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk. If you would like to e mail a question then please do so through enquiries@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk