Sunday StoryโฆHardest Change
Change is hard, we already know that. It is always easier to stay the same, to maintain the status quo, to continue on the same path. Finding a new way to do things, looking to be different than you are, these things are difficult.
These last few weeks we have laid out some strategies to make the shift more successful. Things you can do to make change easier to accomplish. These strategies are great and will go far in assisting staying on the path you have chosen.
Obviously we are assuming you have taken the first step and decided change is in order. Whether you are getting more fit, losing weight, going back to school, or shifting your thought processes, decision one is making the decision to do something different
Figuring out how to change, the nuts and bolts of getting fit, or eating well, or meditating is decision two. Do the research, do your due diligence and figure out the best strategies for success.
Making change permanent is where the rubber meets the road. This is when it gets a little dicey. You can decide; you can figure out the how but can you figure out how to stick to it weeks and months down the road? Months later when your gains have slowed down and the weather has changed and the gym isnโt as fun, and your favorite birthday treat is calling your name, what then? How are you going to keep on track? How are you going to maintain your motivation to stay the course?
Willpower is a muscle just like your biceps. The more you use it the stronger it gets. BUT you can also exhaust that muscle. And when your willpower muscle is tired you will slide back into your old habit and patterns. We need to make your new lifestyle bulletproof. We need to ingrain the new you with tools and tricks to easily and seamlessly stay the course.
Tool #1โฆSee change as good and constant
Trick #1โฆShift something oftenโฆinstead of a 5:30AM class go to a 5:30PM class once in a while.
Tool #2โฆEnjoy the path
Trick #2โฆReflect on the journey often. Journal or blog about it. Get gratitude for how far you have come.
Tool #3โฆReward Yourself.
Trick #3โฆRather than reward goal accomplishment reward time โinโ or just because the path has been so much fun. Reward yourself with something that recognizes and honors what you have been up to!
Tool #4โฆAsk for recognition
Trick#4โฆToo often we donโt know how far we have come. Ask someone close to you to reflect on the old vs. new you.
Tool #5โฆHelp
Trick #5โฆUse what you have learned on your journey to help someone else. You are like an explorer who has already walked the path, you have a map, and you have experiences that others can benefit from. Share it!
Call meโฆletโs transform something!
John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com