3 minute read
Coaching & Lifestyle
Making a Change
Advertisement
Kleine Achiles Life Coach
From the time we ’ re born to our early adult years, we don ’t have much of a choice but to change and evolve. We move from being an infant to a toddler to a little kid, pre-teen, then a teenager, and then finally adulthood. These are milestones we naturally reach as our bodies physically, mentally, and emotionally develop.
But once we reach adulthood,
research shows that at some point in our mid twenties, - our brains don ’t develop much more and we tend to function more from habits. This is a good thing from our brain ’ s perspective as its main priority is to keep us alive. The less energy we require to function, the better. The brain wants to preserve as much energy as possible just in case a mountain lion comes out of the woods and then we can utilize that stored energy to run. This is why getting out of your comfort zone is so hard.
But at certain points in adulthood, you have to make the intentional decision to evolve. You know that point you ’ … ve probably experienced that feeling where the pain of staying the same is just so painful that you have to change. It’ s that rock bottom moment. To increase your chances of succeeding in making the change, AND maintaining it, here are a few tips:
.1 Get clear on your reasons for making the change – make a list. Then make sure you like those reasons. Refer to this list when you find yourself wanting to go back to your old ways or when you “ slip up ” . Use this list to help you re-commit and keep moving forward.
2. Give yourself grace –
expect moments where you’ll go back to an old habit, or just want to curl into a ball because the change feels overwhelming, or you just want to crawl back to your comfort zone. Remember, your brain is designed for survival so these “hiccups” will happen. Instead of mentally shaming or guilting yourself, which will then reinforce to your brain that this change is a “bad” thing, be kind to yourself. Think about what you would say to a friend who made a mistake, then say those words to yourself.
3. Make the change one step at a time –
don
’t try to make too many changes at once or you’ll risk overwhelming yourself. This is a surefire way to send yourself back to your comfort zone. Remember, your brain is designed for survival, and change requires a lot of energy and focus. Making too many changes will sap your brain’s energy and you won’t make much headway. When you have a hard time making or sticking with a change, that may actually be an indication that it’s too big of a change. You may need to be more specific or break it down to one simple step. Like “eating healthy” is too broad and too vague. Instead, get more specific like “drink one glass of water in the morning with my coffee.
I leave you with this one final mindset tip.
There is never a perfect time or the right moment to make a change.
Notice that “right” and “perfect” are just opinions. Just a judgement we all make about a certain point. We won’t all agree when that moment will be. But you get to decide that. Decide that this moment is the right time to make that change you’ve been wanting to make. More often than not, future you will be glad you decided to take that first step sooner, rather than later.
