Are You Ready?
Decisions, decisions…
Now that we've established that we want to improve our lifestyle, the next step would be to take action, right?
Let me tell you something about decisions. They can be easy or hard to make, they can take a little time or a lot of time but in the end what you decide to do is the direction your life takes on. Let's take a few steps back to before we decided to improve our lifestyle, I want you to remember what was happening in your life?
Were you experiencing trouble in your relationship?
Were you noticing a huge energy drop that was affecting your performance at work?
Had you simply had enough of the same old routine day in day out?
No matter what it was, it was enough to seek out change, to create something new, to improve and to grow. Before we change, create or improve we must take time to self-assess. What exactly are we ready to change?
You might want to change everything and let go, well the best way for that is, pack up what you can, buy a one-way ticket to a new country and enjoy the process, however most of us can't just get up and leave.
Allow me to introduce you to the Readiness Process.
Firstly, establish what you want to change. This can vary from the food you eat, your activity levels, perhaps the people around you or current job. Take 30 seconds and write down 1-2 things you really want to change. Looking at your paper, think about why you want to do it. Honestly and openly write down beside your answer the reason why, make sure it's painful because this will be your biggest motivator during the change process.
Our next step is to think of 2-5 answers of how we can change these things (remember nothing is wrong and no one is judging so whatever you write has meaning and importance to you)
This is where I will introduce the Readiness Process. Thinking about how we can change these things we must follow up each answer with 'Am I ready to'.
Here is an example.
Jaime want to lose 20kgs of body fat (really wants to change this), it is too painful for him to buy large shirts, too painful to always cover up, too painful to feel defeated and lonely when he is out in public (these are painful whys).
The how answers Jaime came up with are; improving my eating, increase my exercise, put money away so I don't spend it on junk food, learn how to cook, surround myself by someone who can help me achieve my goals. (These are all good answers, and they will most likely help Jaime out) However, we usually have the answers, we know what to do, our friends and family can also assist in this process, and the question is… how ready are we to do it?
Jaime asks, 'Am I ready to exercise?' the answer is no.
'Am I ready to improve my eating?' the answer is yes. Go Jaime!
'Am I ready to get help from a professional?' the answer is yes again. Jaime is on fire!
Based on his readiness, he realises that he can invest in professional help and he is ready to see in what ways he can improve his eating. After some education and self-awareness, Jaime is now ready to take part in exercise but he does not know how. Guess what his next investment is?
Through the Journey of readiness to change, Jaime made good decisions, smart investments, he was smart about his time and timing and slowly but surely is on the right track to a better lifestyle.
Are you ready to change? Are you ready to honestly assess your current habits and lifestyle? Are you surrounded by people who lift you and influence you in a positive way? Are you ready to stay accountable to your new regime?
Review your list of answers on how you can change, ask yourself what you're ready to change, and 'Voila', you've just written your own map towards improving your lifestyle. The more the marrier, just start with one and you'll feel better right away. The start is always the hardest.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
