Take some tiny steps

Want to shift one of your behaviors? There is a formula for that! And it applies to everything from flossing our teeth to running a marathon. A Wall Street Journal article shared that this approach was tested with more than 40,000 people over the past decade.

To instill a new habit, the first thing we need is motivation. For this we can pick a behavior that we want to do rather than one we merely feel obligated to do. We can choose one we’re already eager to adopt. That’s half the battle!

Second, we need to be able to do it, so we make the change simple and small at first. We go tiny. Why? Tiny is successful and sustainable because it is simpler.

Third, we need a personal prompt. We need to identify a way to reliably trigger the desired behavior. So we design a prompt. We already automatically respond to hundreds of behavior prompts each day that we barely notice. (We see the traffic light turn yellow and we either slow down or speed up!)

The best way we can prompt a new habit is to anchor it to an existing routine in our life, like laying out our exercise clothes next to our car keys in order to go to the gym. Or…we can drink a glass of water when we turn on the computer in the morning. Or..?

Finally, we need to celebrate our new habit, so that our brain associates it with positive feelings.

We need to celebrate immediately in the moment. It isn’t primarily the repetition over a long period that creates habits. It’s the emotion that we attach to them from the start.

It’s so easy to underestimate the power of small change. But some of the most profound transformations start from small adjustments – from suffering to less suffering, from fear to hope, from feeling overwhelmed to being empowered.

Sometimes we are discouraged because we look to how far off the achievement of our change or goal is. But it is much more productive (and satisfying!) to look back and see how far we have come already!

So we don’t need to work towards big, ambitious goals. By going tiny, we can create the changes that will change everything!

(So now that I’ve finished this computer work, I’m off to refill my water glass!)

What tiny step will YOU take?

Learning to handle winter

Winters come regularly, right after autumn. Some are long, some are short, some are difficult, some are easy, but they always come right after autumn. That’s never going to change. There are all kinds of winters-the “winter” when you can’t figure it out, the “winter” when everything seems to go haywire. There are economic winters, […]

to resolve or not to resolve?

Some thoughts… some humor! Even some intriguing ideas to consider! Some thoughts: Some humor: Some intriguing ideas: Have the same ones come up for you year after year? Maybe we should ask ourselves “Why?” first. Is it a “should” or “someone else’s idea for us” or just “tradition”? Are these good reasons? Maybe we need […]

what do you REALLY want?

If you want to find your dream home, describe it. “It’s on a hill, surrounded by tall trees, with a panoramic view.” What feeling does the house give you? “Security.” And the hill? “It would show me perspective.” And the trees?  “Trees represent growth.” And the panoramic view? “It attunes me to expansiveness.” So…you really […]

Did you miss it?

Due to the quirks of our calendar, Friday the 13th comes around once every 6 to 10 months, and this past Friday was it! There’s even a name for the fear of Friday the 13th – paraskavedekatriaphobia! Apparently some people even refuse to get out of bed in case any bad luck strikes them! But […]

Making a list and checking it twice

We’ve heard it a number of times (and it’s not just advice for Christmas!) “Measure twice; cut once.” “Please review your order before hitting the ‘Complete Order’ button.” “Double check your answers.” It’s not about “second guessing” ourselves; it’s simply about taking that extra second to make sure our i’s have been dotted and our […]

Four more ideas for gifts

Did you know there is even another way to go about holiday giving, better than the above Four-Gift Rule? And it’s create, recycle, make a date, and donate! Here’s how it works: Create-DIY gifts made with love and the personal touch are special. Most are neither expensive nor time consuming and can be heaps of […]

If they don’t like you…

What do you do when someone doesn’t like you? You can either fight a losing battle with your critics or learn from them. When we’re comfortable not being liked by everyone, we can release any stress about other people’s opinions. The right way to deal with critics is to objectively process their dislike and determine […]

Thanks for the bad things?

Yes, I know there are a few intrinsic “bad” things! And there are circumstances that we choose to label “bad.” Like the car insurance going up, or a really awful hair day. And there are some clouds that don’t seem to have any silver linings, like illness or bankrupcy, though they later turn out to […]