14 Jan Finding happiness and success sometimes requires change…and overcoming barriers
So I'm working with a group of people at the moment who're all, in different ways, trying to make major changes to their lives; changes that will hopefully contribute to greater health and happiness but changes that will require overcoming significant (and long standing) barriers.
Not surprisingly, this won't be easy for them but part of my job is to help them believe that it is, most definitely, possible.
Accordingly, when I stumbled upon this article I thought I had to share it with them and with you…
4 ways to overcome barriers to change and make new habits stick – by Ciara Conlon from Lifehack
Will 2012 be a year for change or will you keep doing what you have always done?
Seems obvious, only an idiot would try to keep doing the same thing and expect different results, no? But the truth is I’m guilty of it, my friends are guilty, my family are guilty and I guess each one of you reading this is also guilty of the syndrome. If change were easy we would all be different, more successful, healthier, fitter, stronger, slimmer, more intelligent and definitely more accomplished. But we are not. And here’s the reasons why.
Change is difficult.
Change is uncomfortable.
Most human beings resist change. The familiar becomes a false sense of security even if it is a bad habit or a behavior that doesn’t serve us. Fear prevents us from moving forward. The “what if” syndrome hits us. What if I lose money? What if it’s the wrong decision? What if I can’t keep it up? I say sod all the negatives,
Change is necessary,
Change is good,
Change is exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s energizing.
Life is ever changing, it’s dynamic, no two moments are ever the same. Our bodies are different one moment to the next, so why would we try to keep things the same? Why not embrace the difference, the different emotions, the different experiences that is life?
Successful Change
The route to successful change is in the habits we create, it’s achieved by consistent small changes which add up to desired results.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
If we are what we repeatedly do, then creating habits of what we want in our lives in the only way to go. But how do we create habits that stick? Most of us will have a New Year’s Resolution or 22 that haven’t quite worked out the way we planned; there are a number of reasons why this can happen.
1. Lack of planning
If you want anything to work well it must have a POA (Plan of Action) You need to put some thought into What, When, Why and any other question word you can think of. If you want to create the habit of exercise then you must decide what exercise, what days and for how long before you put your gear on. Failing to plan is setting yourself up to fail.
2. Trying too much too soon
When starting a new habit, you need to start small and do it often. If you want to create a habit of writing, the trick is to do a little every day. If you are what you repeatedly do, some day you can become a writer…
…keep reading the full and original article HERE and find ways to make the changes you need to make for more happiness, health and wellbeing.