Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixaby
Why do I keep doing the same thing over and over in my life? How can I get different results?
If your actions aren’t bringing the results you want, you’re not alone. We are creatures of habit. We tend to be repetitive in our actions because we’ve delegated a lot of things to our primitive brain. We don’t think about walking (pick up left foot, set down left foot, pick up right foot, set down right foot.) Or brushing our teeth. Or sometimes even driving from work to home.
So a lot of times we act. We act without thinking.
That is a handy skill for the habits we want to keep. But not so handy when we decide to do something new. Our brain wants to rebel. It likes to be efficient. Doing things the old way is efficient for our brain.
Getting different results is achievable. It just takes effort.
First step: Decide what result you want.
Second step: Think about what a person who has that result would do.
Third step: What feeling will drive those actions?
Fourth step: What thought is going to create that feeling?
Weight loss is such a relatable example, so let’s try it out.
Result I want: Lose 15 pounds
Actions: Meal plan, eat healthy, go on a daily walk, etc
Feeling: Committed
Thought: I feel better when I eat healthy.
Seems simple, huh?
Anything worth doing takes effort. And effort equals the results we want. When we are willing to do the hard things-change our thinking, commit, take required actions-then we get the results we want.
It means being willing to dismiss the sneaky thoughts from the old belief system that want to keep returning. It means being willing to feel all the feelings-discomfort, urges, etc. It means being willing to stick to our action plan even when we don’t want to.
This can work for every result we want.
Let’s try one more.
Result: Be a good citizen
Actions: help my neighbors, volunteer in my community, respect others rights, obey laws, vote for elected officials, etc
Feeling: Invested
Thought: The United States of America is my country.
What results are you trying to create? How will you need to think, feel, and act to make it happen?
