When You Want to Make Consistent Changes, Know Your Why Everyday
Changes are difficult to make. But the hardest thing is to make consistent changes. That’s what I want to cover in this article.
I’m here to remind you that it is extremely important for you to commit yourself to the small changes that you know you want to make.
Whether the small changes mean to show up to work on-time, or to learn to stick to your budget, or or learn to rest and relax. The different goals might look different to you in terms of what is important right now. But you need both consistency and commitment in order to make a change.
However, if consistency were a person, they can’t run on their own, they need to be friends with commitment.
Think about this. Consistency depends on commitment in order to exist. But commitment doesn’t necessarily need consistency in order to exist.
If consistency tries to run without commitment, it won’t last. For example, if you say “I plan to run every day at 5:30pm,” it won’t happen unless you make it a commitment. As if it were an appointment with yourself that you can’t miss, for your well-being.
There is more in-depth stuff behind making consistent changes, such as having an accountability partner, saying no to other activities/people, and also making specific deadlines before and through the process of taking action. For example, in terms of deadlines, if you want to run every day at 5:30pm, you have to give yourself a deadline, such as “leave your home at 5:15pm to get to your running destination.” If you don’t set your deadline, you are more likely to run at different times or to follow your excuses about the weather and how you feel.
Why do we need to know our “why?”
Now that we tackled how important it is to be committed in order to stay consistent, let’s cover why we need to know our why, everyday, in order to make consistent changes, everyday.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), we are not robots or objects. As human beings, we have feelings, a smart mind that can easily provide thoughts of good excuses to not do anything, and have a physical body that sometimes gets tired or energized depending on many aspects.
And that’s why, you are to know your “why” everyday!
If you grew up with available and emotionally present parents, you probably discussed while growing up why you need to still go to school even if you don’t feel well, and even if you don’t have a lot of friends in your classes.
If you didn’t grow up with available and emotionally present parents, you probably still chose to go to school because you found good friends and you wanted to see them.
For those of you who had a hard time going to school while growing up…Maybe some of you went to school because you had one teacher or parent who inspired you and saw your potential. And for some of you, you went to school because your parents would give you a consequence if you didn’t. While some of you went to school because you wanted to get it over with, move out, and have a good paying job.
Do you notice that most of the above discussions and “because” statements came through the influence of someone? We are relational human beings! Even if you consider yourself an introvert, you will relate to something (your values, consequences, etc.), or someone, in order to keep making consistent changes.
For me, I want to earn more money every month because I want to work on paying off loans, and later on be free to travel around the world. How about you? Do you know why you want to continue making consistent changes about the things that you decided to do when this year started?
If you know “why” you want to make the changes you want to make, here are ways to actively and intentionally remind yourself often:
- Write your “why” on as many places as you can such as post-its, journals, planners, flash cards, notepad on refrigerator, cell phone home screen, computer desktop background, etc.
- Self-Talk (just say it): Say or read out loud the change you want to make and your “why” everyday!
- Share about your “why” on social media. Public social media accountability works similarly to peer pressure.
- Let your friend or loved one know about what you want to change and why. You may also ask him or her to hold you accountable. He or she will remind you of the change you committed yourself to do.
- Work on a vision board and paste words that remind you of your “why.”
- Hire a coach to keep you accountable and to help you go from a big picture to your next small steps. If you would like to hire me, click HERE.
What are some changes you want to make this 2017 and why? Comment in the space below, would love to hear from you!
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