Change happens, when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of making the change.
That is great. It is motivational. Inspiring and it is actually true. But just because we want change doesn’t mean that we are going to get it.
See, it is easy to desire change. However, to initiate it we must be ready to put in the work and effort. And even then, it is still hard. We still face obstacles and demotivation.
If you have already decided that you want to change your lifestyle, or any aspect in your life for that matter, just the desire for change is often not enough. We often end up failing and never even try again.
I want to share with you 3 rules that I have found to be very useful when it comes to change. I say rules because I use them every time, I want to initiate any sort of the change in my life, but I want you to look at them as tips and maybe trying to apply them and see for yourself.
The first one is goal setting.
The desire for change comes when you are not happy with the current situation you are in. But to take another direction, you kind of need a destination, or at least an idea of what change you want.
I want to share with you how I started the biggest change in my life, without realizing it.
All my life, up until 16 years old, I was overweight. I was always laughed at and was always told even by doctors that I am not in a healthy state, I should lose weight, etc… I am a very stubborn person and a rebellion by nature. So, I remember I used to say that I will never stop eating whatever I want, even if that causes me death. Well, I do not know if some sort of force heard me, but when I was 14 years old, I fell off a construction. My leg, below the knee, got stuck and my whole body weight was held by my poor knee. It was not too bad. Luckily, my cross ligaments were not completely torn, so there was no need for surgery. However, I got stuck not being able to walk for a good month and a half.
This was the time when I decided to change, or at least to try. I started to restrict food and stopped eating sweets. Only water rather than fizzy drinks. And I managed to lose 5 kg in 2 weeks. This is how I started experimenting with diets afterward. 90 days diet, low carb diet, fasting, and what not.
For sure that was not the healthiest approach. But it was a start.
My goal was not specific, but it was there – to lose weight. I did not know how much, I just wanted change. If there is a goal, there is a motivation somewhere next to it. In my case was my injury. I was going to put even more weight and slow down the recovery. So, I was motivated to change. After that, seeing that it is not impossible to change body composition, I started to educate myself more and have more clear goals of what I want to achieve.
Having goals is one of the first steps to change. The more specific the better. In fact, the more specific the goal is, the stronger the motivation is going to be to change. So, my advice is to set a goal and find the motivation to change. It can be a change of a career, a sport, group of friends, etc…
Speaking of friends, reminds me of the second very crucial rule when it comes to initiating change.
Surrounding.
Back to the story of myself. If it was not for my mom to talk me into some sort of diet and actually do it with me, I was never going to succeed. She did not only motivate me to try but put herself on a diet, in order to support me. I cannot be more grateful to her. That helped me stay consistent. In fact, my whole family supported me too. There was no fizzy drink at home and fewer treats to eat.
This is how I realized that by having people in your surroundings, that just support you with your goals, you are going to be far more likely to succeed, in every aspect.
So next time you want to change, state it. Say to your friends and family that you want to head on a different journey. Tell them your goals and ask them for their support. If they do not believe in you, I highly advise you to find a group of people that does. Online support group, a community of people with similar goals, etc…
Staying in a surrounding of people who do not believe in you, is simply setting yourself for failure.
The third tip is to just take it easy.
Really. Start slow. Do not rush. It takes time to change. do not put any deadlines to your goals. Changing lifestyle is not like writing a blog. It takes time. Consistency and effort. You will face barriers and failures. You will want to quit. You will reassess the whole point of it.
Taking slow and steady approach is the most sustainable and efficient way to progress towards your goals. Split it in small sub-goals and approach them individually.
If you progress 1 percent every day over the course of one year, that is going to excel you with 365 percent. If you rush in the beginning and do not take your time, you are more likely to fail and let go.
Lifetime changes happen slow but are the most rewarding. Do not be hard on yourself. Do not rush and do not let others demotivate you.
Find your goals and your motivations. Surround yourself with people that will support you and trust the process.
Better change a bit forever than a lot, but for a while.