Have you ever found yourself longing to make a change?  It may sneak up on you, like a quick thought that happens to catch your attention.  “What if I made a change in (fill in the blank) area of my life?”  Other times it may be something you’ve been mulling over for a while, and finally decide it’s time to take action.

If you find yourself desiring to make a change in your health journey specifically, I’d love to offer you some encouragement.  Change is hard-we all know this to be true.  Even if it’s a good change that we choose to make, it doesn’t typically come without effort.  But if we keep a few things in mind, we have a better chance of successfully implementing those changes.

Be Crystal Clear on What You Want to Accomplish

Perhaps you’re desiring to eat healthier.  What exactly does that mean?  Does it mean you will eat an extra serving of vegetables at each meal?  Does it mean you’ll swap a sweet treat for fruit once per week?  Getting crystal clear on what you want to accomplish not only helps you know when you’ve reached your goal or established a habit, but it also gives you encouragement along the way, since you know exactly where you’re headed.

Find Your Purpose behind the Change

If you were asked why you wanted to change your eating habits, why you wanted to eat healthier, would you be able to answer?  Sometimes we think we should make a change, but we don’t actually want to make it.  When this happens, we won’t bring the effort necessary to implement the change, and when things get tough, we’ll drop the new habit.  On the other hand, if we know the purpose behind the change and we connect deeply with that purpose, we’ll be able to stick it out when our new habits or lifestyles inevitably run up against challenges.

Tell Somebody about Your Change

This is huge.  Because change is hard (for all of us!), that means we need a community around us to cheer us on, to energize us when we’re feeling down or struggling, and to remind us of the purpose behind the change, and what we and those around us will gain if we’re successful.  Let others in on your goals, and you’ll find support throughout the journey.

So, if there is a change you’re looking to make in the near future, identify specifically what you want to accomplish, why you want to accomplish it, and who your supporters will be. By doing so, you’ll find it easier to make those behavior changes.

Written by Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger

 

Photo Credits:

Photo by Quentin Keller on Unsplash

Photo by Aidan Meyer on Unsplash

Photo by Mike Wilson on Unsplash