…To continue on from yesterday’s post… we were discussing some concepts around change. If we want to do something, if we want to change- how can we do that? What are some of the ingredients that go into doing anything and everything that we want? I shared two with you yesterday:
- You have to really want it
- You have to know your reasons why you want it
- And Nat Couropmitree shared with us his comments about how motivation is better when it is not something we are attempting to get away from… see yesterday’s post and comments for more details.
…So today I will share a couple more of my ingredients one must have in place in order to be as successful as possible with health goals or wellness changes:
- You have to believe you can do it. I believe a great saboteur is doubt. Taking us towards the laws of attraction… if we think we can, we are right. If we think we cannot… guess what… we are right! So if you are having thoughts like “I can’t do this… I’ll never change… I am unable to reach that goal…” you are setting yourself up for a course of failure. Believe you CAN and will do it. I believe in you. I believe that anyone can do anything they want to. That was the real essence for me writing this entire two day post. It was that conversation I had with Paul at the dinner table where I looked at him and said: “You can do anything you put your mind to!”
- You will need to be comfortable with some independence. What do I mean by this? Well, a lot of times (for many, many reasons… whole other topic and blog post!) people around you… even those closest to you may not be 100% on board with your desires for reaching health goals. When making healthy lifestyle changes you may start to feel like the “black sheep”. I know this is true for me. When I talk about meditation, my parents’ eyes glaze over. Or when I am cooking a healthy food, my father either makes fun of it, rolls his eyes, or won’t even try it! So in this respect, I have to stay strong, stand my ground, and choose what I want for me. I have to be independent. I have to be comfortable doing things differently than many of those around me.
- You will need to be patient. What is the saying… Rome wasn’t built in a day…. The same holds true for lifestyle changes, healthy behaviors, or wellness goals. They are not going to all of a sudden take shape overnight! There is no quick fix or magic pill. I have written to this concept over and over… but instant gratification is not a part of a healthy lifestyle. Some of these changes will take time. Lots of time. Some will be slow. Some will be so subtle you may not notice anything. I know for me, with meditation, I wonder what the heck I am doing it for at times… do I even notice a benefit? But over time… a lot of time… and very slowly, very subtly- I do. So be patient with yourself and stick with it.
- Which brings me to my next point… You will need sustainability. You will need to stick with it. Just because one day you feel as if you are seeing/feeling changes does not mean you are done. Health and wellness is a journey. I believe that we are always engaged in the process. We can always strive to be better. We can always grow towards even more health. I am not sure we are ever “finished”. I mean, even for me, I am pretty satisfied with my overall health right now. It is a lot better than it was two years ago… even a year ago. Two years ago I got back into exercise, over the past year it was really focusing on clean foods, and now as of lately daily spiritual practice. I am always changing, growing, and striving for more and more health. I am not “done”.
…Wow… being mindful again of word count I have some more points… but do not want to go over my limits! I guess we can continue on tomorrow with some more suggestions about change and how to be successful at it…
In the meantime, have you come up with any other tips you would add? What enables you to be successful with change? How do you ensure you achieve the goals that you want?
