The Secret to Lasting Change
When wanting to make change, most of us think of how we can overhaul everything overnight. Ridding ourselves of every bad habit, we can start with a fresh slate. But what often happens with these huge changes? Well, not much actually changes. We tend to fall back to our old habits quickly, and we are left where we started and feeling defeated. So, what is the secret to lasting change? Baby steps.
Why Overhauls Don’t Work
While in theory, huge life overhauls would be the quickest, most effective way to make changes, it is rarely the case. This is because as humans, we are creatures of habit. We cling to our routines and learned behaviors, and can struggle to accommodate changes that come our way. If we try to change all of our habits overnight, we are removing our equilibrium, and then have to find new habits and practices to grip on to. When something becomes stressful, difficult, or overwhelming, we are likely to fall right back to our old habits.
How Baby Steps Are Different
Imagine what you want life to look like. What will you be doing? How will you be feeling? What is the difference between that ideal and your current life? Now, think of what changes will need to be made in order to align your ideal life with your reality. Breaking those changes down, see what those steps are to get closer to that goal.
Breaking down your goals into bite-sized steps can help to:
Develop a more concrete plan of action
Improve motivation to get started (and continue)
Decrease the overwhelm that change can bring
Baby steps set our foundation. Beginning with small changes, we can slowly continue building upon them over time. This leads to more sustainable change, with the ability to make adjustments along the way. During this process, you will be able to learn what is and isn’t working, and what supports you may need to keep going.
So the next time you’re tempted to do a full 180, consider how it would feel to just take a small step in a new direction. It may not be the fastest way to change, but step by step you will be able to forge a new path that you can actually stick to.
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