Sometimes, when a pattern has been running in your life for a long time, it can feel like changing that pattern would be like moving a mountain.
You know that creating lasting improvements requires an equally lasting change in the way you think and respond, but the concept of remembering to maintain that change forever can be deeply daunting.
Even if you manage to commit to that, there will be times when you slip up, and what then? Does that mean that you’re still the same old person, deserving of the same old results, and things will never get better?
If you’ve been stuck in a pattern for a long time, and your efforts to break free have been discouragingly difficult, here are some things you can do to encourage yourself and improve your results.
1. Remember that it only takes a small shift.
If you’re in a ship, and you make a one-degree shift in your course, you’ll end up at a completely different destination. In the same way, major life improvements don’t necessarily require big changes, nor should you expect yourself to make an instant ‘hairpin turn’.
Instead, pay attention to the things that aren’t serving you, and in each instance in which these patterns come up, make a shift. Don’t expect yourself to permanently change in an instant; instead, just shift your response to that specific moment, learn what you can, and use that knowledge and the encouragement of that success to help you to continue building on that shift.
2. Remember that you will – and CAN – start over at any time.
This can seem like a curse, but it’s also a blessing. Yes, you can slip into your old habits at any moment, but by the same token, you can also break those habits at any moment you choose.
All you have to do is shift your thinking, and remind yourself: “That was who I was before, but no matter how long I’ve been that way, this is who I am now.
“This is a new moment, and my response and feelings in this situation aren’t governed by what they have been in the past, but by what I choose right now. I choose to respond in a way that serves me and is aligned with my best and highest self.”
Just because you slip doesn’t mean you’ve failed, or that everything you’ve done has been for nothing. It simply means that, as long as you are human, you will always find temptations and opportunities living side by side, and every new moment is a chance to choose which of them you’ll make active in your life.
3. Forgive your slip-ups, and keep a record of your wins.
If you feel like you’ve been struggling without making progress, I suggest that you start to keep a record of your wins.
Every time you make a good choice that you wouldn’t have in the past, write it down. Each time you’re in a situation that used to trigger you, and you handle it well, put it in your journal.
For many people, it’s easier to remember their ‘failures’ than their successes, so it’s important to consciously counter that by encouraging yourself, and by showing yourself just how far you’ve come.
Staying on track and making changes alone can be difficult. But you don’t have to.
You may have heard it said that “your mind is like a bad neighborhood – never go there alone.” It’s true. Self-diagnostics are hard to perform, and it’s difficult to see the big picture when you’re inside the frame.
This can affect every area of your life. Business, relationships, health, happiness – everything. We all have blind spots, which is why even – and especially – the top people in most industries have mentors and advisers that help them stay on track.
Are you tired of having to learn things the hard way and muddle through on your own?
I don’t want any Life Coach to have to struggle for things that should come easily. That’s why I’ve created a mentor-ship and support program that helps to create and maintain the mindset you need to succeed, as well as the marketing and business skills that will help to make your coaching practice a success.
If you want to learn more about it, please scroll up and fill out the form on the right, and my team will get in touch with you soon.
Here’s to All Your Small Shifts,
Mary