We live in a fast moving world. It’s drive thru this, instant that, multi tasking, driving while talking on your phone, drinking coffee and putting on makeup in the rear view mirror.
One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned was how to get more by doing less.
While this may not make a lot of sense on the face of it, it’s rock solid fact.
To get more of the health, wealth, clarity, focus, confidence, personal power – fill in the blank with your dream - you have to do less.
We (myself included!) make change difficult if not impossible, by trying to change too many things at once. We try to overhaul our eating and exercise habits, organize our homes, paper, priorities, finances, grow a business or career – all at once – not realizing that each of those changes is probably made up of 10-20 smaller behaviors that all require a shift.
That’s a set up for failure.
Bob Green, personal trainer and Oprah’s fitness coach said it best. “The fast and furious approach is also the fastest route to failure. Human beings don’t respond well to sudden changes. However your body and your mind have a powerful ability to adapt to change when it comes at you in measured amounts.”
Read that again: Measured amounts. Baby steps.
But we’re impatient. We want everything now – or better yet, yesterday. For instance, when I work with clients who are interested in changing their fitness habits and I tell them that on the plan we don’t start that portion until the 3rd or 4th sessions – they’ll often resist. They want to get going right away – why wait, right?
That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? Why not jump right in and start working out, adopting new eating habits and getting right to their desired goal?
Because it doesn’t work.
Adding another layer to an already full plate is the problem! It’s what we all try to do – not realizing that until we create space for the changes we want to make the changes themselves WON’T stick and we wind up frustrated and discouraged when the first promise to ourselves is broken. Of course, you COULD change more than one thing at once, but not for long, and never for long enough to see lasting, sustainable improvement – which is what you really want, isn’t it?
Accept the fact that you can only change one behavior at a time, and you will succeed. Try to change more than one thing at a time, and you will fail. It’s really that simple.
