If It’s Broke, What Are You Gonna Do about It?

by Karen Elizaga | Posted: January 27th, 2012 | No Comments »

Many clients and friends over the last few months have been talking about frustration with how things are. They are overwhelmed, they beat themselves up with abandon, or they can’t believe that they’re doing the same damn thing… again. We are all driven by our patterns and habits, some productive and some not productive at all. Either way, it can be really hard to change. How do you do it?

Unfortunately, habits die hard. They are etched and ingrained into your brain – that’s why you’re on autopilot. The trick with developing a new habit and ditching an old one is that you must put in the effort to create the new. The new, productive one must override the old. The old habit remains, it’s just suffocated for the moment by (or as long as you embrace) the new one!

Whether you’re tucking into a candy bar daily at 3pm, regularly drinking too much, rarely expressing yourself when you ought to, never saying no, or going to bed at unreasonable hours – whatever your patterns that don’t serve you are – there is potential for change! Here’s how.

• Think about the habit – what will happen if you continue to follow this pattern? Really, what’s the awful consequence, the worst case scenario, even? Think years down the line. How is this habit going to wreck what would otherwise be a great existence?
• Think about kicking the habit – what will happen if you DO make a change? How different, productive and even amazing will your life be as a result of your commitment and action to change?
• Make a change – ideally, you take an enormous step toward how you want to live. Drink soda? Cut it out entirely. Not getting enough sleep? Get into bed at 10pm. Do it today.
• Tweak – whether you can make this enormous step or not, make little tweaks. Don’t workout at all? Take a brisk walk with a friend today. See how that makes you feel. Losing your shit on your family all the time? Take a deep breath and count to 10 before speaking.
• Observe and enjoy – once you start making the changes, big and little, make sure you take time to watch how they’re affecting you. How much better to you feel? How much happier are you? This is the addictive part – when you know how much better you feel, you want to do it more!
• Give yourself credit – remember to give yourself a pat on the back for making the effort. You won’t get to the end without your own encouragement, and you can appreciate your change process.

If you’re annoyed, frustrated, angry, or disappointed with yourself, do something to fix something! Little progress gives rise to something much bigger.