Do this first.

When it comes to making long term changes we stink.  I know that sounds a bit rough but lets look at our results: over 90% of dieters end up right back where they started within 12 months, almost half of marriages fail and two out of three criminals are re arrested within a three year period.  Now some social psychologist have taken these alarming statistics to mean that we cannot change and would suggest that trying is futile.  But rather than heading down this slightly depressing path I would like to remind you of the wise words of Confucius “when it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps”.

The reason that so many of us fail to change our exercise and eating habits is that we keep trying to do the same thing over and over again (sometimes referred to as insanity).  We work ourselves up into a motivated frenzy telling ourselves that this time I will stick to my diet and I WILL get up every morning to walk before work.  The problem is that this is the same thing that you told yourself last time and the time before that and the time before that……..

In the race to begin our new lifestyle (or perhaps the need to fit into that new dress this weekend) we often forget the much needed first steps of any behaviour change. So lets look at a new place to start.

Our motivation and ability to create our new lifestyle habits depend on having clear, compelling, and measurable results.  Consequently, many of us fail to create change from the outset because we fail to envision these results.  Stephen Covey in is book 7 Habits schools us on the importance of beginning with the end in mind. When we have clarity about our destination the journey gets a whole lot easier.  What i am suggesting is that you don’t waste a moment on how to create change until you have clarified what you want, why you want it and when you want it.

The what, why and when will act as powerful fuel when the going gets tough.  Ignore these and you will likely run out of energy and end up right back to where you started.  Think about making your outcome specific and measurable.  Too often we focus on just losing weight or wanting to get fitter.  These statements are too vague and have no long term drive associated with them.  Try something like this;  I want to fit into my favorite little black dress or I want to run a 5km fun run in under 40minutes.

Too often we forget to stop and ask ourselves why is this change important.  Diving deep and looking at the cost of our current behaviours and then reflecting on the benefits of our new behaviours is a essential part of long term success.  It has been said that when the why is big enough the how is easy.  Try making your new behaviour change about more than just yourself.  Think of the impact that it will have on your children, partner and even as a role model for those around you.

Making your result time bound will add another level of motivation to your outcome.  Give your goals a completion date.  I want to wear my favorite little black dress to my best friends 40th birthday on September 30th.  Making your goal time bound bring a sense of urgency and reality to your goal.

So next time before leaping into your new diet or exercise program take a moment to investigate what you really want, why is it important and by what date you will expect to get these results.  This might just be the most important 30 minutes of your new life.