The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.Have you ever felt that? Do I even need to ask?
Maybe it was when you looked in the mirror and saw the body you never wanted.
Maybe it was when your first grandchild was born and you realized you wanted to be healthy enough to enjoy their smile for years.
Maybe it was a moment of quiet reflection when you realized you weren't all you wish you were.
Maybe it was a flash of temper which left you regretful and desiring improvement.
Whatever the situation, we've all had them. That moment when we realize we just simply MUST make a change. We can't go on like we are. It is a stark moment, a moment of clarity, and often regret.
The real question, though, the only thing that matters is what we do with this thought once we have it. After that tractor has bulldozed right through the middle of our brain and we've felt an urgent need to change, what do we do next?
In general I believe there are four ways we handle these moments.
1) Ignore the feeling and hope it goes away
All to often the feeling causes so much discomfort that we simply wait for it to pass. Yeah, we know the change is important. Yeah, my brain is buzzing right now. Yeah I am a bit uncomfortable by this need. It will pass. We know from experience the emotion won't last forever. Once it goes away, we can go back to our blissful lives until the next bulldozer hits our brain.
2) Listen to the feeling, recognize it, and decide to change...someday
Sometimes this need to change flows through our mind and our immediate thought is. "You know, I should really do that." Should is a key word here. Have you ever noticed how often something you should do actually gets done? It's pretty rare. Should says "I will do it...tomorrow." Should doesn't require any action other. Certainly not any action today. Someday I will get to that diet. Someday.
3) Listen to the feeling, decide to take action on it, but aren't sure what action to take so we just don't move
The next step in our progression is to recognize the needed change, realize it's importance, and then decide to take action. Only far too often we get stuck right there. Either we don't know what step to take, or the steps we know we should take are too confusing or too difficult. So instead we don't do anything. A good example of this is a person who blows up at their kids and realizes they simply don't want to have temper issues anymore. The resolve is good, so is the desire to take action...but what action to take? How do I immediately begin to work on my anger issues? It's a good question. It's also a question which can paralyze us and cause our urgency and motivation to weaken.
4) Listen to the feeling, and act decisively immediately
And here we have it...this is how the truly successful handle their promptings to change. First of all, they use the word "must." I "must" make this change. "Must" motivates to action. Second, they take action immediately. Most often the action isn't perfect, it's just an action. But they don't wait, they act. Action has power in our brains. A brain that sees us moving to action believes we actually might be serious this time. A brain that believes in our success is an amazing generator of motivation and ideas.
I don't care what the action is. Go buy a pair of running shoes. Set your alarm for 5:00 AM so you can wake up to study harder. Go apologize to your son for your temper. Sign up for a class. Meditate. Brainstorm ideas to build your business. I am not sure it matters too much, but what does matter is that you feel the call to action...then act.
And you act every single day on your desired outcome.
It will come.
