One Simple but Powerful Strategy for Achieving Change

Why is it so difficult to change for the better?

If we’re honest, we all have areas in our lives that we’d like to improve: Eat healthier, exercise more, kick a bad habit, keep up with the latest news in our profession …

And yet, despite the mountain of information on setting goals, making better habits, and developing willpower, we struggle to make progress. Because we humans don’t like to change.

Change is hard.

Some days we have the enthusiasm to head to the gym for an hour Pilates class, but other days the motivation isn’t there and we’d rather veg out on the sofa or ease our blue mood with a handful of cookies. Then we beat ourselves up for failing once again.

A different strategy

I ran across a TED Talk by Colleen McCulla that offered a simple solution. The video helped me realize that so often when we strive to meet certain goals we lose sight of our true purpose for changing in the first place. Exercise is not the end goal. Losing weight is not the end goal. The real goal is something like maintaining overall fitness or embracing healthier eating habits.

In other words, the Pilates class is just a tool that helps us get there. But it’s not the only tool. There are dozens of other actions we can take that also lead us in the right direction.

So…

Instead of giving ourselves specific goals that define specific actions, (Pilates class three days a week), we can take a step back and make one simple declaration of intent, such as:

I will take some action each day that leads me toward my goal of healthier living.

Some days it will be a Pilates class or an hour walk around the neighborhood. Other days we may only manage to eat a single carrot or refuse to stop for a donut.

The size of the action doesn’t matter!

The consistency of our intent matters.

The power of intention and consistency

Here’s why I think this concept is so powerful: So many things can sap our willpower or hinder us from our program of self-growth. That combined with the fact that we are used to having everything NOW can quickly bring disillusionment.

If we learn to be content with the tortoise improvement plan instead of the hare improvement plan, we will be more likely to succeed. But we must remember that the tortoise won because he kept putting one foot in front of the other, even when it looked like he was losing.

The finish line was hopelessly far away, but the tortoise was intent on getting there. He knew his intent: Finish the race. With consistent effort, he eventually achieved his goal.

When we take one action each day toward our goal (no matter how big or small) and give ourselves credit for that action, we begin a slow but steady journey that will ultimately win the race.

The tortoise route to change

What changes would you like to see in your life? Why not decide to be intentional about taking one small step each day toward that change. A year from now, who knows how much you might achieve, one tortoise-sized step at a time.

Here’s the TED Talk, if you’d like to watch it.