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FEATURE ARTICLE
Ten Steps To Lasing
Change
1. Face
the truth
No
matter how good your intentions are without the awareness of the truth
about where you are today and how you got there you will not be able to
change. Ask yourself some hard questions:
-
Where are you today in your business and your life?
-
How
did you get there?
-
Is
it working for me?
-
Look
at what you are doing and why you are doing it?
-
Habits don’t continue unless they serve some kind of functional
purpose. Assess the risks
2. Write
a new story
We all tell
ourselves stories that rationalize why we are the way we are or why our
life/business is the way it is. If you want to change, you need to
write a new story. Look deep into your value system and write down the
story of whom you hope to be. Read the new story at least once a day
for motivation.
3. Set
realistic goals
Stretch
yourself not break yourself. Don’t sabotage yourself by being too
overzealous. If you underachieve you’ll feel bad about yourself. The
more successful we are in achieving our goals, the more motivation
grows.
4. Make
change in a positive way
When
intentions are framed negatively----“I wont overspend” or “I wont get
angry” rapidly depletes our limited stores of will and discipline. It’s
more effective to commit to a financial plan or starting meditation
program. “People are more willing to do something they know is right
rather than give up something they know is wrong.
5. Focus
Without
focusing on the why you want the change it will be unlikely you’ll stick
to it. There is too much distraction in this world. Focus on your WHY,
like looking at Moby Dick in a fishbowl. That’s all you can see.
6.
Set a date
With out a
start date. If you wait too long to start you will lose your
motivation.
7. Accountability
With out a
deadline there is no accountability. If you give human beings the
opportunity to fail they will. How many of you would pay your mortgage
payment on time if there were no accountability built in?
Work with a
coach. Most of your friends or your spouse want you to succeed on one
level and not on another level. If you succeed, they will be left
behind and have to get out of their comfort zone to keep up. They will
do anything to keep you comfortable in status quo so they don’t have to
change.
8. Put
change at the top of your list
It’s crucial
to make the process of your change one of your highest priorities. If
you are trying to be more organized, or more profitable or healthier you
may have to pass up some familiar habits. Your change is more important
then the old habit or routine.
Experts
advise to sticking to one or 2 changes in behavior at a time.
9. Reward
yourself
Reinforce
your new behavior by doing something you enjoy, such as getting a
massage or getting in an additional game of golf. Just make sure the
reward comes after you’ve accomplished what you intended. Over time, it
is the more intrinsic rewards that take over: feeling proud of yourself,
knowing that you can make a change and stick with it.
10. Regroup,
don’t retreat
Once you
start slipping, it’s easy to simply stop trying. But it’s the plan that
is flawed, not your goal. Or you have lost focus. When you are too
busy to prospect today, you’ve got to find another way. Make
contingency plans: These options will become part of your natural
routine like putting on your seat belt. |
