On a daily basis, life presents us with a series of choices. Starting with the time we decide to get out of bed, our minds bombard us with what we need to get done that day, week or month. Some of the tasks are accomplished while others fall prey to procrastination, pushed to the back burner to be completed in the future or never at all.
It’s easy to say we’re going to change a behavior, it’s another thing entirely to follow through with it. If you’re overweight, eating healthier and getting more exercise may be one of your goals. Talking about how you need to change while reaching for that third slice of pizza will get you nowhere. It’s easy to say the right things, it’s much harder to take action.
Here are 3 ways you can make sustained and lasting change in your life:
Stop talking, start moving
Positive momentum can be very intoxicating. Once you quit talking about whatever it is you want to do and begin moving, you’ll find it’s difficult to stop. It’s cliche to say this, but the hardest part is getting started. I have a few friends who currently hate their job and yet, they aren’t willing to make a change due to a multitude of fears. As someone who talked about hating their job for years before I finally resigned, I can relate. The problem is, talking about something over and over again isn’t going to solve the problem.
Be bold. Take the first step to change your life. No matter what it is you’re attempting to accomplish, you’ll get nowhere just talking about it. Talk is cheap for a reason.
Think small
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” This is true with just about anything. If your goal is to buy a house, that’s not going to be possible if you’re wildly spending money and living paycheck to paycheck. Develop a budget and begin setting aside a portion of your income each month in order to build up your savings. You can start by eliminating depreciable assets from the equation. If you spent thousands of dollars on cars, boats and other toys, sell what you can and put that money toward the house you’ve been dreaming about.
We all have a tendency to trip ourselves up by buying things we want instead of focusing on those we need. By whittling life down to basic necessities, we have an ability to tackle a large problem, opportunity or goal with bite sized efficiency.
Embrace the suck
It’s not easy to make real change in our life. Career changes may present you with unexpected financial strain. Training to run a marathon can bring physical pain and mental anguish, perhaps more than you’ve ever experienced in your life. Life is hard. No one’s going to save you from the difficulties you will face. Rather than bemoan the challenges that are thrown your way, embracing them and powering through will provide a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction unlike any other.
It’s nice to dream when you’re young, but as we get older it’s important to set realistic goals for ourselves. If you’re 45 years old and always had a dream of playing in the NBA yet never made your high school basketball team, I think we can all agree that ship has sailed. Set a new goal to play a pickup game at the YMCA every Saturday instead. It’s not only more realistic, it’s a great way to either get or stay in shape as you age.
Just be sure to stretch before you take the court. Those chiropractor visits can get pretty expensive.
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