How many times have you started a new project orcommitted to an important change in your life, only to fall backon things you were going to “stop doing”, overwhelming those good habitsyou were developing?
Our brains are sometimes justlike that garage above. We simultaneously store a lot of valuableinformation and junk that we will someday want to use. When we feelstuck, or have too much on our minds, we commit to clearing that garageout. And we’ve all been to many a garage sale in our lives!
Tochange any habit it takes a minimum of 90 days. At the 45-day mark,we are halfway to where the opportunity for real change is just startingto take hold. At the same time, this is when many of us feel thattransition is just not going to happen, so we slowly let our oldroad/mental blocks creep back in again.
Here are a few things to work on to become aware of what I call ” the slide back 45″.
Keepa brief journal. Then take a look back to see where you’ve come from,what progress you’ve made, and look forward to where your commitmentsstill lie.
When the slide back starts to take over, recognize it and squash it!
If need be, go back to the basics and start over.
Some basics:
Decide on what you’re going to stop doing before you start doing anything new.
Find an accountability partner other than yourself.
Develop a flexible blueprint, then commit to a plan and live by it.
Take small steps first, then build momentum.
Be patient with yourself.
Know that you have to want to do this, even more than you need to do it.
Celebrateyour successes along the way. Use these moments to raise the platformfor your next move, one that will be up and away from where you used tobe.
Keep in mind that on average it takes about 90 days for goodhabits to take hold, (after all, you’ve spent several years building upthe bad habits in the first place!)
What pointers to stop bad habits from creeping back in can you share?
Jamieis the founder of Life Work Integration, a process that integratespassion with purpose and vision. You can reach him atjamie@lifeworkintegration.com & via Twitter @jdouraghy