Commitment or Motivation?
It is sometimes difficult to move forward, because change is not easy.
Remember every year we make new resolutions at the beginning of the year, and the question is “why is it easy to slide back into our old patterns”? The answer is easy and clear, change is big and scary
But if you want to c change something, this is what you’ve got to do: If You need to lose weight, go to the gym. If you need to quit smoking buy yourself some nicotine gum. If you need a partner, join some dating site. You need to associate change with some actions.
Change starts in small ways. Don’t make t huge, because it will look big and overwhelming. Devote your time on some small steps to help you achieve daily dose of change. Here’s what you need to do:
- Set realistic goals
Devote your time on one behavior at a time. For example, instead of losing 5 kilos a month, rather focus on eating vegetables and 5 fruits a day. Focus on what you have control over. You have control over what can do (your actions) but you don’t have control over the outcome of your actions.
2. Never eliminate, replace
If your goal includes eliminating a specific behavior, it must be replaced with a new behavior if you want permanent change. If we don’t replace a behavior, we end up creating a void that lead us to eventually falling back into old patterns.
3. Face reality about you want the goal
We always repeat behavior that makes us feel good. What that means is that until the goal becomes larger than the feeling, you are always going to choose feeling good over feeling uncomfortable
4. Devote at least 15 minutes a day for your change
Even if it’s just reading 1 chapter of a book, or 10 minutes’ walk, just do it.
5. Find support
We all need encouragement and support throughout our journey of change. You need someone to hold you accountable in order to make lasting changes. An accountability partner for example, or a coach will hold you accountable and will make sure that you implement the change that is expected of you.
That is just a few ideas you can reflect on, and try in your life to help you focus on being committed rather than motivation.
