Forming a new habit or behavior more conducive to getting what and where you want to go:
How is this accomplished and how long does it take? Building better habits is not an all-or-nothing process. Forming new patterns or habits may be gradual, little by little moving to a more positive and satisfying behavior.
Make small changes until a new pattern of attitudes and behavior is in place. You can also decide to stop a negative habit or attitude, like smoking, and go cold turkey and never smoke again.
New, more positive plans that you can implement with specific actions will take you closer and closer to the desired outcome and can be accomplished in a very short time. Once a decision is made, and acted on, you will reach a new, stable lifestyle.
Some helpful steps to adopt:
- Start simple: do not try to do everything in one day. Have a target that is attainable and keep at it for at least 30 days.
- Set your goals high, and break it down into small attainable steps. Losing 50 pounds may be overwhelming, but if you break it down to a smaller amount over a longer period of time then not only is it achievable, but easier to attain and maintain.
- Evaluate what knocks you off that new habit pattern. Strengthen and focus on the new habit.
- Establish relationships with people supportive of the new desired habit. Find role models. If you want to work out, establish relationships with people that go to the gym.
- Keep the desired habits or habit pattern actions in place for a minimum of 30-60 days. Easy changes will be incorporated quickly. Harder ones may take longer but do these daily.
- Schedule and follow through doing what you are committing to change. Create a strategy to apply consistently and improve your plan of action as results improve.
- Envision yourself having the end result. Keep reviewing and celebrating the benefits in your Journal.
- Review your Journal write-up, your game plan each morning, including the new habits. Track your progress.
- Put the new habit first, not last. If you want to start playing tennis, do not do it at the end of the day, rather do it when you are fresh and when you will benefit the most from doing so.
- Tell a friend or another about your new decision and invite their support. For example, I told my group of friends that I was writing a book. Each time I saw them I shared my progress as they asked about it. This kept me interested in a purpose for the book beyond myself, but envisioning the benefits for others as well. A purpose beyond mere self-benefits provides a greater-good purpose that means more value to all that are impacted.
- Determine what has to happen for you to know that you have a stable new habit by viewing your Journal entries progress feedback and acknowledge where you have achieved changed habits, and then define what is needed next to achieve the desired results!
How does one stay motivated?
What to do when:
There are moments where mood, fatigue, and lack of motivation, which are permitted, may create inconsistencies toward your desired goal and may cause your new habit to drop out.
Realize:
Minor setbacks are possible until a stable new habit is formulated and becomes a part of life. In order to motivate yourself and prevent set- backs, simply focus on your prior achievements and restore your purpose for change, and the benefits already achieved, and then re-commit with attention to consistency, no matter what happens in your life. Review negative thoughts and those folks with negative attitudes to avoid these. To have a more permanent change, you may ultimately have to change your environment and your schedule to match what works best for progress.
****For this great post, Campus to Career thanks Dr. Gerald J. Regni!!****
About the author: The above article is an excerpt from The Job Book: Find Yourself and a Job in 30 Days written by Dr. Gerald J. Regni and co-authored by Diane Phillips. The authors have worked out a simple to follow, user friendly road map that anyone can follow to find a career that fits, where one will follow his or her passion in easy steps. Start Your Career Finding Adventure Today! READ A LIFE CHANGING CHAPTER FOR FREE by visiting www.thejobbook.info.
