Changes for the New Year
“Trying to change many things at once, often leads to no change anywhere. The magic happens when you make once change consistently over time.”
—Lisa Merlo Booth
Now that the holiday season is upon us, many people begin to think of al the changes they’d like to make:
Improve relationships
Lose weight
Eat healthier
Exercise
Be more positive and less critical
Stop procrastinating
Manage reactivity and anger
The list can be endless. This season though, do things differently. Decide what area is creating the greatest stress, pain, or negative impact in your life, and focus all your change energy there. Break that area down into bite-size chunks and start making minor changes daily. If you’re unhappy in your relationship, make a list of all the things that are leaving you unhappy. Look at your role in these areas and focus your energy there. Show up differently every day, over time, and see what happens.
If you silence, push yourself to speak up (with a Grounded Powerful Strength, not aggression
If criticism is your thing, focus on being positive.
When micro-management and control are the issues, focus on letting go—even if that means letting things drop.
If anger and rage have a hold on you, focus on being emotionally safe to those around you—even if that requires you getting professional help
Change happens in the minutia; it’s the little steps, consistently taken over time, that yield the greatest results. This holiday season, as you start to build up your motivation to create big changes in the New Year, remember to focus. Focus on your side. Stop complaining about what others are or are not doing. Start with small steps and take them repeatedly. Inch by inch will get you farther down the road toward change than you can imagine. Focus on one inch at a time.
Challenge: Change happens in the minutia. Work on one area at a time and focus all your attention there. Consistent steps are far more important than grand gestures, so work the change inch by inch if necessary and stay the course. Celebrate each success along the way.
Lisa Merlo Booth (my mentor)
C: Dec. 2, 2019
