Ch-ch-ch-changes 🎶

Change is hard. Our brains are naturally wired to keep things the same - even the things that make us feel like crap. 

Making a change is like hiking up a mountain. It starts off easy and you’re excited to check out the view from the top. Half way up, one of your cute trail shoes comes untied and your backpack starts feeling heavy. You know it would be easier to just turn around and go back. 

Do you tie your laces in a double knot, tighten those backpack straps and press on? Or do you turn around and walk back down the mountain? 

This decision is the tipping point. This is where the change happens (or doesn’t).  

For example, let’s say you have a goal to be more present with your kids in the evening. You make a plan to put your phone down from 6 pm - 8 pm. The first night it feels pretty good and you notice that it’s going well. Night 2 is a little harder, but you hang in there. Night 3, you really want to “just quickly” check your email/facebook/insta. Hello tipping point! This is the moment where it’s much easier to quit the new plan and go back to the old. 

This decision is the tipping point. This is where the change happens (or doesn’t).  

Stick it out for a few more days, and no phone will become the norm. 

Or maybe you want to leave work at 5 pm instead of 7 pm. The first day you work diligently and walk out the door at 4:59, feeling awesome. Day 2, someone asks you for a last-minute favor so you head out the door at 5:15, but you’re still feeling pretty good. Day 3, you think “this is too hard, I don’t even really mind staying until 7” and go back to your old habits. You quit at the tipping point - right when it started to hurt.  

Lace up those shoes, grab your backpack, and go for that change you want to make!

Remember this: 

1️⃣ It’s going to hurt. Maybe not the first time or even the second time, but all change is hard at some point.

2️⃣ Even when it’s hard, you can still do it. Try the mantra “I’m proud of myself for changing” or “I’ve just hit the tipping point, that’s normal, I’m going to keep going”.

3️⃣ If you have one bad day where you slide back to your old ways or behaviors - it isn’t the end. Just start again. Keep going. No big deal.

You've got this!

PS If you’ve been trying and failing to make an important change, or if you know you need to change something but can't quite work up the gumption to start, set up a free consultation with me to learn more about coaching! I help my clients make positive changes in their lives.