If success were convenient, everyone would achieve what they say they want. Success can be very inconvenient.
When our desire to change is greater than the inconvenience we experience, we will make the change. It’s really that simple.
It’s not always convenient to eat the way we know is best for us. It’s not always convenient to go to the gym. It’s not always convenient to make the phone calls that might generate business. It’s not always convenient to get to the office an hour earlier than usual in order to jump-start our workday.
Whatever it is you say you want, there will be a level of inconvenience you have to deal with. That’s reality, but unfortunately, we’ve been led to believe we can have success simply by a magic pill, a push of a button, or saying a few affirmations.
Remember the Beginning
When you’ve made a change to a behavior, or you’ve broken a bad habit, after a time, it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come. Once you settle into the routine of a new way of living, boredom can set in. Be careful. This is when many people forget why they made a change in the first place, resorting to old behaviors.
This frequently happens with people who change their eating habits in order to lose weight. When you hit a plateau, this is a critical time to recognize that you WILL hit points where the scale doesn’t change. This can go on for days, causing incredible frustration.
The temptation is to throw in the towel and resort back to old eating behaviors. Don’t!
Your body is simply adjusting to the change. Healthy weight loss takes time. It’s slower than what you might think. Yet, slow will likely be more permanent than fast, unhealthy weight loss.
Remember Your Big Why!
It’s important to keep your big “why” at the forefront of why you made a change in the first place.
If you’ve let go of smoking, a few weeks into the process you may think, “I’ve got this thing licked. I can have one cigarette.” Don’t!
Take it from an ex-smoker who “quit” so many times I lost count before I finally gave them up for good nearly 25 years ago.
I would quit for a few days, tempt the hands of fate and before I knew it, I was back to smoking as much, if not more, than before.
One Day at a Time
In 12-step programs, people are encouraged to live their new way of life, “One day at a time.”
We can do anything one day at a time. If the temptation to go back to an old, destructive behavior comes up, commit to sticking with your healthier way of life, “Just for today.”
Tomorrow, if you still feel like resorting to the destructive behavior, recommit for one day to not give in.
Change is not always easy. But again, if you focus on your big “why” you will likely get through any bumps in the road.
After all, aren’t you worth the best quality of life you can create?
Stick with It
The hardest part of any accomplishment is sticking with it. In the beginning, we can get pretty excited. We’re convinced we will do whatever it takes to create the change. Yet, many people (and in some cases… most) give up soon after setting the goal.
Why is that? For one, they didn’t realize how difficult the change would be (thus the reason for short term commitments). Two, they get frustrated when they don’t see dramatic change in a short period of time. Three, they didn’t want it bad enough.
Whatever it is you committed to is obviously important. But is it important enough to stick with it? No matter what you say, your actions tell the real story.
