Changing your life is simple once you do these 7 things

Change always seems so hard. We make a decision that we’re going to stop doing things we find undesirable for some reason or another. Maybe a new partner hates our habit of sleeping with our dog (sacrilege!) or we want to give up something we feel is unhealthy or doesn’t serve us.

Or we decide we’re going to start a new habit that’s going to improve our health and well-being, finances, relationships or some other area of our life.

And we’re so committed, and we get up early, or go to bed early, buy the books, buy the gym clothes and new trainers, buy all the salad and fruit, buy the juicer, buy the treadmill and open a savings account.

And we throw out the leftover chocolate and cake and crisps, we throw out the unfinished packet of cigarettes, we cancel our netflix or sky subscriptions, and cut up all our credit cards and delete CandyCrush from our phones.

And a few weeks or if we’re very strong willed, a few months and if we’re really, really strong willed maybe a year later (although that hardly ever happens!), we find we’re doing the same things, stuck in the same situation, experiencing the same frustration but even worse than before.

Why? Well, here’s the science bit. Neuroscience and biology both tell us that our brain doesn’t like change, it likes things to stay the same, mostly because it knows that situation, knows you’re okay in it, safe, if not happy or healthy. You’re safe and that’s what your brain cares about most, keeping you safe. So you always fall back into what you know, what you’ve always done.

And staying there doesn’t serve your best interests, and in fact staying there could be extremely bad for your health, but your subconscious is not logical and doesn’t respond to reason. So, what can you do to make successful changes in your life?

You can start by taking an hour to go through the planning stage of these seven steps and then taking the tiniest action to start. For instance, say you wanted to clear clutter from your home, don’t start at the deep end, attempting to clear out the cupboard under the stairs. That will put you right off the whole project. Instead, take just one thing and put it in the recycling or dustbin. I know, it seems a bit silly, how could so small an action help you change?

Its because it is such a small action that it helps you change. Your brain doesn’t go into its reflexive rejection of new habits, just one small thing is acceptable. And you will also feel good about doing it, which will give you a dopamine hit and encourage you to do more. Long lasting life style changes come from small daily actions that build into huge outcomes, taking you to exactly where you want to go. And if you want to get there faster? Well, that’s what Clinical Hypnosis is for!

In the mean time, start by working through these steps:

1. Get Clear – Know what you want, what you really, really want. (sorry!) Don’t be fooled by shiny baubles, spend some time teasing out all the details of what a successful, fulfilled life looks like to you. Don’t settle for less than the pinnacle of your desires, draw this picture boldly, without compromise. Decide exactly what it is that you want to do, who you want to be, what you want to have.
2. Get Certain – Know that you Know! Be confident, you can be sure of yourself without doubts or reservations, because you know exactly where you are going in life, you know precisely where you want to be and you’re moving forward step by step in that direction. Your passion, purpose and core values combine into a single vision that motivates and inspires you.
3. Get Excited – Create a plan that aligns with your purpose, you can’t help but be excited. Be eager, active and enthusiastic in working your plan. Eager anticipation builds into hope, belief and promise. Getting excited brings more self confidence, self reliance to make things happen, and more influence on those around you as excitement is infectious.
4. Get Focused – Focus takes practice, persistence, endurance and strength. Focus is your central point, the core of your plan, always keep the main thing the main thing. When you’re focused, after a set back, you get up and go forward again and again. You learn from mistakes, you take corrective action and you keep moving forward.
5. Get Committed – Take this seriously, this is your vision for your life and only you can make it happen. Make a promise to yourself that is as binding as any you’d make to another person, or to God. Make a pledge to your family. Be obligated to get it done and see it as real. Stay committed through all that life throws at you. Be all in. Because you’ve got this. Plan it and Do it.
6. Get Smart – Be bright, get smart. Don’t reinvent the wheel, use your intelligence and learn from those who have paved the way in front of you. Study those who have made great success in your industry and follow the moves that moved them forward faster and further. Learn from your past mistakes, learn from your current circumstances and learn from those who are living your future life now. The decisions you make today will create your tomorrows.
7. Get Momentum – Take action every day towards your goals. Expend energy, thought, desire, action in the direction you want to go. Motivate yourself with your vision of where you’re going and what you are achieving, keep taking steps forward. Be willing to take action right now. Big Action, Big Momentum. Your attitude and beliefs can either move you faster or stop you in your tracks. Use your beliefs and attitude, make them work for you.

And if you get stuck for a while, just go back to step 1 and get started again.