How to introduce change....one thing, step, day at a time
Is something holding you back from being your best self - the best friend, best spouse, co-worker, in best health, best mood? If so, consider change. I know, change is scary. What if things don't work out as planned? But what if the change takes you to places you never imagined possible?
Decisions, decisions...keep things are they are, or choose to change! Why not take a thoughtful leap of faith to change something in your life? What is one thing that is preventing you from being your best. Have you identified what the change will be? Great! Now that you identifed something that needs to change....... congratulations!
You realizing something needs to change is step one. Introducing the change can be a very large step because it requires willpower, focus, diligence, support, AND developing NEW HABITS that range from making different food choices, to creating time for physical activity, interacting with different people in different ways, and simply doing things different than you do today.
There are seven dimensions to wellness that impact our state of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. How you are socially, emotionally, spiritually, environmentally, occupationally, intellectually, physically. Think of these seven dimensions as gears. If any one of these is "out of whack" the others are impacted. An example is when physical wellness is lacking (you feel out of shape) your emotional wellness is impaired (you don't feel as good about yourself), which impacts how you interact with others, your social wellness. If WE ARE NOT WELL, OTHERS CAN TELL. It can be heard in our voice, read in our words, seen in our appearance. Oftentimes the remedy is deeper than we want to admit and requires diligent effort. And to make change more difficult, we live in a world of instant gratification. When something requires continuous effort before we see results, we stop. We give up. REMINDER to focus on "the new", not the old!
Hence the second step - commitment. You can change your lifestyle IF YOU WANT TO. The easiest way is "one thing at a time". From a social standpoint, evaluate your relationships. Interact positively. For example, reduce times you use social media as a way to gain affirmation of your goodness. Gain affirmation of your goodness from your actions, not LIKES! If you always do the right thing you cannot go wrong.
If you are lacking positivity because your "emotional state", focus on what is causing your "emotional gear" to not function effectively. It could be your physical well-being. From a physical standpoint, start with your diet and swap out one unhealthy food and/or drink for a healthier option every week. Food/drink can be your medicine or poison; and impact other wellness dimensions. Remember the dimensions are dependent on each other. Your overall wellness is reliant upon you to keep all gears in check!
The third step...perseverance! You are building NEW HABITS and that takes time. Stay focused. Avoid temptations. Get back up if you fall. Others may mock you and one day may wish they followed your path! Be your best advocate! Just remember, the choice of change is yours!
Thank you for reading, Paulette Wagner
Certified Personal Consultant and Holistic Nutritional