What's the worst way to change life?

That's easy. Keep doing what you've always done...

If we do nothing to change life, or keep doing what we've always been doing...

Well, you know the answer...

Nothing will change.

If you really want to change in a positive way you need to do something different.

Make the choice to change life and put all your energy into it.

3 Things To Do RIGHT NOW to Change Your Life

1. Choose where to direct your energy

Saying "I want to change" is too broad...

You need to be specific.

Choose a specific area of your life that you want to change and focus your energy on that.

Is there more than one part of your life you want to change? Choose the one thing that will make the biggest difference to you and concentrate on that. 

Don't know what needs to change? Speak to a professional or take an online personality test that highlights areas for development.

Take that step to change life now!

2. Write it down

Write down the change you want to see. 

Use the SMART technique to guide your thinking and write a single sentence that commits you to the change. Leave out words such as "try", "hope", "should", "would like to" and make it definite and positive, as if you've already achieved it. 

For example, "I have lost 3kg by 1 December" or "It's 1 March and I've uploaded my CV to 4 new career sites". 

Finally, list all the benefits you'll get when you've made the change. These are your reasons for making the change. Hold on to these. Refer to them often. They are worth gold!

3. Take your first step

Take a moment to work out the steps you must take to reach the life change you're aiming at. 

There might just be a few steps you need to take such as registering for a course or learning new recipes.

A client I worked with planned to make a career change in 9 months. She broke this time into three 3-month stages and then focused her attention on what she wanted to complete in each of these periods. 

Do what works for you and the change you want to see. 

Done that? Great! 

What is the smallest, easiest thing you can do RIGHT NOW that will start moving you towards the life change you want? 

Take a moment and do that thing right now. Yes, right now! Make the phone call, look for that recipe, print your CV, tidy your desk...

....whatever it is do it now. 

You'll feel so good once you've started.

What's Holding You Back?

Many of us just don't take steps to change life.

If you're struggling with this don't get angry at yourself.

Find the problem… and focus on that.

Your Comfort Zone often gets the blame for zero change. Don’t get me wrong. Your Comfort Zone can be a wonderful thing ... after all it is comfortable  :)

But it can also be a selfish gremlin that holds you back and doesn't let you change life.

Engage with it.

Ask it what it wants from you. Why does it want to hold you back? How does it convince you to stay where you are? If it is successful what will that mean for your future? 

If you reduce its power so you can make the change what will that be like for you?

Go back to the benefits you'll get when you've made the change and tell that gremlin to take a back seat. You're driving now!

Overcoming barriers

Think about times that you’ve dealt with change.

What did you do then that helped the most?

How did you do that?

What resources were important to you at the time? 

How can you do those things again to help you to get through this time of change? 

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Hi! I'm Mark Connelly. As a psychologist and coach with 20+ years of experience, I help people create and manage change.

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