Summary:
Do you find changes difficult? Do you want more successful changes? This blog gives you 10 keys to help you make changes so that they are more powerful and sustainable.
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Every day we are faced with choices that may result in significant changes in our life. Some changes are small, and others make your life upside down.
The keys below can help you deal with changes better, so they are more sustainable and successful. You don’t have to apply them all. I am convinced that one of them can already help you.
- Visualize your change
- Embrace change
- Be open to new ideas
- Be optimistic
- Make it easy
- Focus on what interests you
- Make sure it is in line with your values
- A powerful change is in line with your Why
- Find people in your area who support you
- Celebrate your successes
Visualize your change
To have a strong vision of your change, try this exercise. For a minute, you visualize your next step: a new job, a new customer, a relationship, or a home. It can be anything that can bring you more in life. Now take 5 minutes to get a good idea of this dream or vision. How does it look? How does it feel? Then write down (or draw) everything you have seen and felt and focus in particular on the qualities that this image brings you and how they feel.
Embrace change
Even though some changes can be difficult, I encourage you to embrace the change. It has come into your life to help you grow. In the blog 5 lessons I learned at an engineering firm, I write about a significant change in my life.
Was it easy to leave a company where I had worked for 14 years? No, but the leap has brought me so much in the area of personal development and the relationships I have with my family.
Be open to new ideas
This also means being open to new ideas and being flexible. These can be small ideas such as choosing a recipe you’ve never made, but also a new way to communicate with customers when there is a conflict.
Be optimistic
Of course, it is useful to be positive about changes, but that does not mean that you should only focus on the positive aspects of the changes. The reality may also be that it is a difficult period without work, assignments, or relationships. Optimism is about being convinced that the future is good and that there are possibilities. Read more about how to be optimistic here.
Make it easy
Along with change, you may think of significant changes as a result of choices. I can imagine that working for a new employer or starting a (new) company can be something huge for you. And I’m not even talking about losing weight or quitting smoking. Man is, by nature, terrified by (and resists) significant changes. The chance that you will do it is therefore small. In particular, the possibility of failure (and its consequences) plays a vital role in not changing. Try something little to help you make that significant change. Talk to someone who is an entrepreneur or who has successfully applied to another company. Prepare your jogging shoes for a walk tomorrow.
Focus on what interests you
Do you know what you want? What is your dot is on the horizon? Many people live from day to day and do whatever comes their way. In the evening they sit on the couch and watch TV. OK, I do that sometimes as well, but if you always do that, then you don’t know what you feel and want. Write down what interests you and what changes help make you feel good about yourself. Then take small steps (make it easy) to realize your aspirations by doing what you can, want, and what interests you.
Make sure change is in line with your values
I am fascinated by people who make great changes in their lives. That could be a divorce, moving to a distant country, or quitting their job for a trip around the world. This may be easier for someone who finds that the values of adventure or self-determination are important ones. For people who rather have the values of stability or harmony, this can be challenging or even stressful. The chance that a change is successful, is if it fits your values. Read this article on how to discover your values.
A successful change is in line with your Why
A change is robust and sustainable if it fits and supports your Why. Your Why is your unique and positive contribution to this world. I always repeat my Why when I am faced with a choice, an opportunity, or a change. My Why is a key to a warm, powerful, positive, and loving feeling. For me, that is in my belly. If the change feels similar: Go for it!
Find people in your area who support you
Nothing is as demotivating as people around you who don’t support you. Statements such as “You can’t do that,” “Who can do that?” or “That’s too difficult” doesn’t help. Somehow this is understandable: Imagine, you change, but they don’t. There is a possibility that these people will lose you, and they would rather not because it hurts.
If you want a change in your life, find people who have already made that change, people who want to support you positively and want to see you grow.
Celebrate your successes
Celebrate every small step towards change. A step can be a new habit (sending people a card to thank them for something) or a one-time action (following a webinar). Then celebrate that! Compliment yourself, say ” Yes! ” or smile at yourself in the mirror. Complimenting yourself helps you feel good and successful. Other ways to celebrate success can be found here. If you want to change, you only do that if you feel good.
How do you make sure that a change is successful? Let me know in the comment field below. The other readers of this article and I are looking forward to reading from you!
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Have you seen an error in this article? Let me know! I am grateful!
Sources:
Tiny Habits, BJ FOGG
How to Master Change in Your Life, May Carroll Moore
