Deciding to Change

How many times have you looked around your home and decided that changes needed to be made, either for critical repairs, or perhaps just because you are tired of the color of the walls? It happens every day, all over the world. We get tired of the same-old, same-old, and vow to shake things up a bit. Deciding to change paint colors is fairly easy; it’s in carrying it out where complications may arise. The same thing happens when we decide to change things about ourselves.

Think about this: If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? Now, we are not talking about magic, because some things – such as how tall you are – simply cannot be changed. There are some physical limitations involved. (OK, heels help, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.)

You know, there really isn’t much that you can’t alter if you want it badly enough – assuming you know how to go about it, and assuming that you take action, as needed. “Wanting to, badly” is a great start, but it won’t get you anywhere by itself. Neither will writing a bunch of affirmations or visualizing, if that’s all you do. Writing about it in a journal is a fine thing, but writing is not the ultimate action we are looking for.

If you want to get started making changes in yourself, pick one thing to begin with. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s do-able. Then go after it with everything you’ve got. Visualize how you’ll feel and behave after the change is made. Write affirmations to support the visualization, and repeat them every day, over and over. Create the picture, in your mind, of the end result you want. Make an action plan with sub-goals, and daily and weekly tasks. Make yourself accountable to follow the plan and reward yourself every time you achieve a sub-goal.

Enlist help if you need it, and don’t worry about how long it takes. (Worry actually is negative goal-setting!) If you keep moving toward the end-result you want, and you keep tracking your progress, you’ll get there. Really! This same method works for teams, departments, even entire organizations.

There’s an extra, added bonus. When you see that you can do it, you will inspire others – and yourself – to do even more.