Do you ever find yourself thinking you need to make a change, but being afraid of it at the same time? Have you noticed a place in your life where you want to improve and know that you can, but feel like it will be a lot of work? We generally don’t like to change until whatever it is that we are doing just becomes too painful to continue as it is. Change is scary and doesn’t come with any guarantees. If what we are doing now is fine, there is no real reason to shake it up.
But often we also find ourselves unsatisfied with the life we are living. We know we want or need to make changes, and we may even know what they are, but we haven’t quite decided that they are actually worth making. We simply haven’t been motivated to begin making those changes. It isn’t a comfortable place to be, but it’s more comfortable than facing the unknown – actually doing something new.
Maybe it would help if we could think about this differently. I was thinking about a makeover, changing one’s style of hair or clothing in order to reflect other changes that have already occurred. We do this because we have had the same haircut since 2002 or because we are moving into a new position at work. It’s possible we have had big changes in our life that make us want to look or feel different, and we finally get up the courage to try something new.
Makeovers work best when the change isn’t so big that it’s too hard to keep up with or when going back to what happened before is no longer an option, so it’s important to keep that in mind when making changes in your life. Maybe you want to makeover your outlook on life and be more positive in your thinking and communication. Maybe you want to start to be on time for things instead of always running 5 minutes late. Maybe you want to have a healthier lifestyle. Start with measurable and manageable outcomes. What are two small things you can do every day that help you meet your goal?
If you are trying to be healthier, it may be too much to commit to going the gym for an hour every day or getting a nutritional overhaul and completely changing your eating style, but you could add 2,000 steps, take the stairs, eat one more serving of fruit or vegetable to your diet, or drink an additional glass of water instead of soda each day. These are all things that are measurable and manageable and have the potential to show good results over time. Because they are smaller, it’s also much more likely that you will do them. That’s the difference between a makeover and a complete overhaul.
My challenge for you today is to choose one thing in your life that you want to change and give yourself a makeover in that area. Think of what small things you really can do that will result in big changes down the line. It’s even better if your makeover includes doing things you will enjoy doing. Have fun!
