Many people are able to recognize when something needs to change in their life in order to be happy…to be successful…feel joy…get healthy. This often feels like discontent, boredom, burnout, irritability, constant distraction, and even fantasizing of a different reality. For a lot of people, a change in their day-to-day in their personal or professional life can make all the difference. For some it requires an overhaul and for others it might just be a few tweaks here and there to get closer to the goal in mind. The key, of course is, small steps toward the big picture will more than likely yield those big results you want to see.

Some people can pin point how they want to make change.

• “I need to put my phone away to avoid the midnight scrolls and get more hours of sleep.”
• “I need to eat better in order to lose weight.”
• “I need to learn to meditate to support my mental health.”

The little voice in our heads sounds different from person to person.

While some might know exactly what change they might like to see, there are others who might not know where and how to begin. They feel like they’re heading in a downward spiral and just know something needs to change. Stat.

Ask yourself right now, what would my health (mental, physical, emotional) look like5 years from now if I don’t make a change soon? Ponder on that. Write down what comes to mind.

Truly jot it down

Now ask yourself, what would my health (mental, physical, emotional) look like 5 years from now if I do make a change soon? Ponder on that. Write down what comes to mind.

Try it.

If your vision of making a change is a healthier version of you, then you might be ready for change immediately. If so, I wonder where you might like to start. Also, what’s your why? Why does this vision of yourself inspire you? How will you constantly remember your why? Especially when old habits that don’t support your healthy vision of health creeps in.

While part of my role as a behavior change expert is to help encourage and support people towards making the change they desire, part of it is also to acknowledge that we live in a very real world. Change isn’t always linear. Life throws curveballs, temptations, stress, and obstacles and we should plan accordingly for them.

The fact of the matter is that if you’re ready for change and growth in the best of ways, then change is possible for you.

How do you know if you’re ready for change

You might be ready for change if:

• You need help getting “unstuck.”
• You need help envisioning what you want.
• You value your health and well-being and that of those around you.
• You could use support and resources to get to your desired outcome.
• You are ready to be intentional about developing new healthy habits in a realistic way.

If you’re not ready for change, then now may not be the time to take on actionable steps. If that’s the case, that’s okay too. Ask yourself what needs to happen before you feel ready to take a step towards a healthier vision of health.

Now that you know whether or not you might be ready to make a change, now is the time to determine what a good starting point might be and when you might like to start. Make your starting step specific. Make it measurable so you know how to track it. Make sure it’s an actionable task. Make it realistic. And make it timely so you know when to celebrate successes.

If change were easy, everyone would be successful all the time. Consider what barriers you might face, what back up plans you’ll need to put in place, the accountability processes you’ll have, and celebrations for when you hit milestone moments. These systems in place will support the outcome you want to see.

Should you need support with any behavior changes you want to make to support your health, do reach out. This is what we are skilled to do in a way that is reasonable and personalized to you and your vision of ideal health.

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