Our daily life is a collection of conscious and unconscious thoughts and habits. Some serve us well allowing us to be organised, make the school lunches, nail our role as the family PA and get out the door on time each morning. Some are productive, aiding in moving us toward our goals whilst others create barriers to our progress.
Often, we consider our habits to be things we do. Our morning routine, staying up too late reading online content that may be interesting but is depriving us of valuable sleep or indulging in foods that we know are not promoting good health.
Looking beyond this level of conscious behaviour there is a sea of subconscious habits in the form of our thoughts and beliefs. These habits are constantly running a scan in the background of our lives, colouring the way we view the world and the quality of our relationships.
Any aspect of our life that we wish to improve, whether it be on a personal level or in a professional capacity, requires adjustments these subconscious thought patterns to align with the direction we choose to take and the person we choose to be. It is all our choice and we can engineer the way we think and respond to circumstances by cultivating a mindset that serves us powerfully.
Often the concept of improving an area of our lives is promoted with a focus on knowing what we don’t want and the negative aspects surrounding this thinking rather than fixing our sights on our vision for our future direction and goals.
When I work with clients, whether it be executives, entrepreneurs, individual coaching sessions or enhancing the culture within a business space, we do not focus on negatives. The focus is on observance. Effective change can only take place from a position of awareness. Acknowledging and expanding that which has been working and creating new pathways for change in the areas that are not aligned with the vision and goals moving forward. Change is simply a process. Our perspective and action is what gives it robust strength.
Whether it be our personal goals or our role in the workplace, the way we feel about change has the power to create sustainable transformation and build strong relationships or cause our grand plans fall over after a short time. The spoken language we use and our inner self-talk, has an incredibly powerful impact on the results we see in our physical reality. It permeates our perspectives and is woven into our beliefs.
As an example, take the common personal goal of wanting to lose weight. The phrase ‘I want to lose weight’ has a subconscious undertone that one is carrying around something that is unwanted yet our subconscious conditioning about losing something may be that we feel a degree of unhappiness and discontent over the loss. On a conscious level, we can be absolutely committed to the intention to lose weight but our subconscious associations around loss and our past experiences of loss in a multitude of forms that have nothing to do with our weight, can become an underlying current that slows our progress. These thought programs can run in the background hindering the process of shedding the extra kilos. Adapting the thought program to focus on creating a stronger body, enjoying the energising effect of increased exercise, seeing food as a fuel for the body and enjoying the benefits of a clearer mind combine to empower the process. With a shift in mindset and clear small action steps, new habits form. A more positive sense of self-image develops and typically, over time, the new habits become woven into your daily routine and the weight begins to shift. Rather than setting a date on which the weight should be lost, which can simply add another layer of stress if the scales aren’t yet meeting your expectations, we can shift negative toned thoughts to refocus on the direction in which we intend to move. This shift in mindset must then be followed up with clear action.
Here’s a guide to assisting with creating new pathways for achieving goals.
1. Accept where you are now no matter what the circumstances. You are here right now at this point in your life.
2. Take time to observe, without judgment, the thoughts and beliefs that you have each day.
Some will be powerful and effective whilst others will be disempowering and creating blockages. Where did the belief originate? Does this belief still serve you?
3. Make a conscious effort to simply recognise any negative thoughts and reframe them with a positive slant.
4. Make a commitment to yourself to create one new habit a week for 4 weeks and schedule them in your diary.
It doesn’t matter how small the habit. The process will begin the shift in your conscious awareness. As the process becomes familiar and you experience the benefits, it becomes easier to make more significant changes.
5. Schedule specific times in the day when you will take action on creating the new habit.
Commit to these times in the same way as attending a meeting or linking into a conference call.
6. In your diary check off each day that you made an effort to adapt your thoughts or actions.
7. Just prior to going to sleep at night, acknowledge your efforts for the day no matter how small and reaffirm your commitment to continue tomorrow
Examples of new habits:
· Set weekly goals that are aligned with what you want to have achieved 3 months from now and write them down. Break the goals down into daily steps then schedule time to action these steps.
· Make the effort to connect with 3 people in the week with whom you wish to build stronger professional or social relationships.
· Give daily gratitude for anything: your health, your family, your home, that the sun is shining, that you have clean water drink and food to eat
· Set a clear intention for your day before getting out of bed
· Boost the energy in your workplace by complementing 3 people each day
· Clear 5 pieces of clutter from a desk/drawer or bench space each day
· Cut down to 1 cup of coffee per day
· Drink 2 bottles of water by 3pm
· Commit to getting 1 hour extra sleep each night
· Walk for 20 mins at lunch time
· Replace one sweet snack during the day with a naturally sweetened more nutritious option
· Cook extra food 2 nights each week so there is some left to take for lunch
Take your new habit and spend a few minutes to clearly visualise yourself living this habit daily. What does it look like? How do you feel?
Creating transformation through a shift in mindset is a long-term process because sustainable and empowering habits become established only when we shift our thoughts regularly which in turn creates new perspectives.
We often underestimate the power of small action steps. One small step at a time. A month from now you will have 4 improved aspects to your life and in the process will have eroded 4 disempowering aspects. You will also have established a significant shift in your conscious and subconscious awareness.