Making Change

I hope you’ve taken a moment to be grateful for the gifts of 2023 and to celebrate your successes. We so often forget to do that. If not, please take a moment now to make a list of every win. What difficult things did you get yourself through? When did you prioritize your physical and mental well-being? Who did you help?  What did you learn?

Inside of busy lives we don’t take the time to reflect on the good and to give ourselves credit for the things that we WERE able to accomplish. Instead, we focus on where we fell short and decide that there is something wrong with us because we didn’t hit the big goal. We tell ourselves that we are lazy or weak because we didn’t follow through.

The thing is…. our human brains are actually WIRED to not follow through. It will always want you to exert as little energy as possible and to assume zero risk. This is because staying right where we are is usually the safest place to be, and this part of the brain isn’t thinking about future joy or dreams, or your contribution to the world. It cares ONLY about preservation.

THAT is why it is hard to make big change.  We’re actually fighting with ourselves to make it happen! And by midlife, we’ve just accumulated too many proof points that we can’t do something. But you are (we all are) 100% capable of making changes and accomplishing so much more than we believe.

So, if you want to make a change this year, think now about when and where your mind will derail you. When will it be easiest to opt forcomfort in the moment? What will your brain say that makes you abandon your plan? Expect the challenge and be ready with the message (and action) that your FUTURE SELF will thank you for.

Try breaking down your end goal with smaller 90-day goals that keep you heading in the right direction, are easier to achieve and allow you to celebrate wins. When you have a setback DON’T GIVE UP. All or nothing thinking destroys our dreams. Remember that failure IS the path to success.

Most of all, watch how you talk to yourself because your whole body and soul are listening. It matters so much more than you know!