I’ll begin by quoting the words that inspired this post – “The only way (not the fastest or the best or a trick or a cheat), the ONLY way to change a habit of a behaviour is to know yourself. If you don’t know yourself first, all those other tactics will end up short lived and kinda wasted” – Jo Muirhead.
I have been thinking a lot about these words since Jo posted them on her Facebook page. These words have truly resonated with me in my own behavioural change journey. Making successful, lasting behavioural change cannot occur without awareness of ones self, truly and honestly knowing yourself, and by implementing tactics and strategies that work for YOU.
Understanding your own motivations, your why, your reasons for making behavioural change needs to be at the core. From here you can reflect on past behavioural change - what has worked, what hasn’t worked and why. And then, implement strategies which work for you now. It is important to remember what works for someone else, may not necessarily work for you.
Take me for example. I need a concrete goal, a date, accountability, small steps broken down so I can tick them off as I work towards the big goal.
Yes, you will have set-backs, days when it is hard and you just want to give up. This is all part of your journey to behavioural change. But you will have good days too. It is just as important to reflect on the positives, as it is the negatives – what went well and why it worked or what didn’t.
There is no quick fix, no magic pill. Just YOU, your commitment, and your hard work. Here’s to your journey to successful behavioural change.
I would love to hear your experiences of what has worked (and not worked for you) on your behavioural change journey. Feel free to join in the conversation and share your thoughts.
Image courtesy of Perfect face © razyph
i am so pleased my post inspired you Cath. I love the way you have applied this and encourage people to do the same. Great blog!