How to succeed in creating change is one of the questions we all have from time to time; this post is part of my Food for Thought category.

Before I start getting into this article, I just want to make clear the fact that I’m not a licensed professional or a medical doctor. The ideas and suggestions I have are purely my own opinions, based on my experiences and research I’ve personally done. You should always check with your doctor or therapist for what exactly works best for you. 

These are basic guidelines, and I cannot be held accountable if they don’t work out for you personally.

With that being said, the ideas I’ll share are not meant to offend or harm anyone in any way.

Now, let’s see how to go about succeeding in creating long-lasting change in your life.

Can You Succeed in Creating Change?

As part of my Food for thought category, I decided to make an article about how to succeed in creating change.

With the approaching new year, we all claim that we want to make changes in our lives. We all have goals. Whether it be concerning weight loss, shopping less, spending less money, or any type of harmful addiction or behavior that we want to eliminate. But probably the most popular one is starting to be more physically active in the new year. And most years, it’s the same pattern that repeats itself.

These are all great, and the beginning of a new year is as good as any time to get started, but in order to succeed, there are a few steps to consider. 

One of the most important things to keep in mind when entering this journey is that temporary changes don’t bring lasting change. It takes a lot of willpower and motivation if you want a complete lifestyle change. 

Going to the gym a few times at the beginning of the new year and never stepping foot in it again is not doing anything for you. You might as well just keep doing what you’re already doing right now. You’ll save yourself lots of disappointment and aggravation. 

Steps to Take 

Now, let’s see some of the things you can try in order to succeed in creating long-lasting change. 

Small Steps

Let’s say one of your goals is that you want to start getting up earlier in the morning. 

If you’re more of a night owl and don’t get up before noon on most days, don’t start the first week by setting your alarm for 6 am. 

Instead, try going to bed a few minutes earlier, and set your alarm 10-15 minutes before the time you usually get up. Then, the following week, set it for 5-10 minutes earlier, and so on. Eventually, you can reverse your habits, but setting unrealistic goals from the start will almost guarantee failure. 

Set Realistic Goals to Succeed in Creating Change

This brings me to the next point. If you’re overly ambitious with your goals, you set yourself up for disappointment. Try setting the goals as doable as possible. When people feel the need for change in their lives, they often make the mistake of taking on too much at once. Instead, take your time and decide what’s more pressing, and start with creating small changes in that area. 

Identify Primary Goals

In order to identify your primary goals and before going any further, start by making a list of all the things that need improvement.

Then ask yourself: What is the most important goal you are planning to achieve? Identify them before you do anything else. Writing them in your journal will keep reminding you of them when life gets in the way. 

Prioritize Primary Goals

Afterward, you can categorize your goals by priority. Try dealing with the most important goals first, then follow up with the ones that are secondary. Many people unfortunately spend so much energy on unimportant things that they lose track of what’s really important to them. 

Start with the most urgent matters, then the rest will follow suit.

Stop Setting Conditional Goals

On January 1st, I’ll quit smoking. Or when I have enough money, then I’ll buy that house. You get the drift. You will almost always guarantee to fail if you set up your goals in this way. Because the minute you’re going through something a little bit difficult, you’ll go back to your old habits, and then give up your new goals altogether. 

Incorporate The Changes into Your Lifestyle

The changes you’re trying to create need to become part of your everyday life. For example, if you want to lose weight, you need to slowly cut down calories and be more mindful about the types of foods you consume, not try all types of diets. Once the diet is over, most likely you’ll go back to the way you used to eat before and gain even more weight. That completely defeats the purpose of the diet. On the other hand, cutting fried foods, too many carbs, or pop from your diet slowly will get you better results in the long run.

Make The Time for Creating Change

Let’s say for argument’s sake, that you love reading, but you just don’t have the time.

Bookish Edition Random Ramblings: Reading Habits

I’m sorry, that’s just bull. I have a full-time job, write for my blog, do content writing for another blog, and still, manage to read on average 50-80 books per year. But I love reading. I don’t watch much tv, don’t party, and rarely get together for coffee or other social activities. Reading is my thing. That’s definitely not for everyone. 

But if you do want to take up reading, start with a few minutes a day. For example, get up about 10 minutes before everyone else in your household, and enjoy the quiet reading time. Then slowly, grab a few minutes here and there,  and before you know it, you can manage to read at least a book a month. Then a book a week, and you’re a full-fledged reader. 

Get Realistic With Yourself

Having goals is great, and wanting change is amazing. We all want that. But don’t take on more than you can chew. There are only 24 hours a day and only seven days a week. Get realistic and prioritize the most important things to you first, then try to squeeze in other activities. Taking on too much at once will only cause you more stress, so don’t do that to yourself. After all, you want to eliminate stress and lead a more peaceful life.

Creating change is meant to improve your life and overall being, therefore be realistic and take things slowly. 

Concluding Words

This is my view on how to succeed in creating change.

This is it for today, I hope you enjoyed this short post that is meant to bring you some motivation for the new year. Did I enlighten you on how to succeed in creating change?

Thank you for your support, it means a lot to me.

I wish you all a happy and prosperous holiday season. Stay healthy and safe, and hopefully, I’ll catch you back here in 2023!