Bright Spots, Looking at What Works.

The one certainty that comes from any form of behaviour change is that there will be failure, temptation and challenge.  How we deal with this will be pivotal in determining the long term success of the change process.

Although there are certain pillars of behaviour change that are the same for all of us  - (click here to watch the video), we have to acknowledge that what works for one individual may not work for another.

Bright spots was a term first coined by social researches Dan and Chip Health. Bright spots are about asking the simple and profound question “what’s working, and how can we do more of it?  Too often when we come up against challenges we tend to be more problem focused; “What’s broken and how do we fix it?

Bright spots assumes that we are naturally creative, resourceful and the best judge at knowing what works for us.

Recognizing our bright spots is all about looking at times in the past when things worked for you.

We have all had moments where we have had successfully made changes – even if was just for a few hours.   Looking back at what worked provides a road map that gives us direction moving forwards.

A sample dialogue might go like this:

When was the last time you exercised? Last year there was a period of three weeks that I walked every second day.

What about that situation allowed you to exercise? I was walking at lunchtimes with Sally from the PR department – but it all stopped when Sally changed jobs

How can we do more of it? I could easily ask Jen from accounting or even pop a note up in the staff room to see if someone else wants to walk with me.

The bright spot in the situation above had the person realize that walking with someone else made them much more likely to have a regular exercise practice.

When was the last you felt like you ate in a healthy way? Last week I ate really well

What was the situation that allowed you to eat well? I was organized enough to write a shopping list and a meal plan for the week.  I knew exactly what i needed and this allowed me to take great fresh food to lunch and have simple healthy produce readily available for dinner and snacks.

How can we do more of it? I am going to take 90 minutes each saturday morning to plan my week ahead and shop.

The bright spot in this situation was realizing that the healthy eating habits where actually about good shopping habits.  Looking at what worked in the past provides the roadmap of what to do in the future.

Here are other areas that looking for bright spots can be helpful in…

• When was the last time you felt like you got a great nights sleep? etc
• When was the last time you managed to get through a stressful situation without getting anxious? etc
• When was the last time you felt like your children where actually listening to you? etc

Searching for your bright spots are so incredibly powerful because they show us the circumstances, habits and behaviours that actually led to the results we are wanting.

Taking a moment to look at what has worked for us in the past can be a great start on your journey towards your outcome.

Let me know how you go.