“I’ll make a change just as soon as… (fill in the blank).” How often we view change as something that is a future endeavor, to be taken on as soon as a list of criteria have been met. Maybe the hoped for change involves better self-care, more time with loved ones, feeling less rushed. What is your goal?
I want to challenge you to start right now, in this moment, to meet your goal. Make life in this moment more of what you want to create for yourself. I have resolved recently not to say yes to so many commitments. So I have to make that a concrete rather than a general goal. That makes it more doable, and more measurable. So if I say, “I will say no to the next three things I am asked to take on,” it is easy to measure and know when I’ve reached the goal. Identify a goal for yourself and make it specific, not general. Maybe instead of “eat better” you could resolve to eat from all food groups at each meal (more specific), or instead of “exercise more” you could go for a walk three times per week first thing in the morning.
The more specific and measurable our goals are, the more likely we will achieve them. A goal needs to be hard enough that you’ll feel good if you achieve it, but not so difficult that you are immediately discouraged. As you achieve even what you perceive as “small” goals, these small shifts can become a series of shifts, and eventually a bigger shift in how you approach your life. Take one step now.
