A first step to personal change – What do you want?

​Personal change begins with a desire or a wish, without the desire for something different, change will be more difficult to apply.  Change will begin for you when you realise and recognise that you want something different and that it is a personal choice, If change is enforced on you without your buy-in you will feel somewhat disconnected, which can lead to further challenges. 

​A great way to engage and change your mindset is to start with some basics. Start to build your mind so that it becomes stronger and brings firm foundations to achieving what you want.   Read more for some starter tips that have helped me.

One of the reasons why personal change can be unsuccessful is because our approach is often one of all or nothing. A great example of this is establishing a new health and fitness routine, something I have tried in the past was cutting out a particular food group and then adding something in that I thought would be healthier, which I actually didn’t like, along with that throwing in a 5k run everyday, all these things implemented at the same time.  It was too much at once, so I decided to go for one thing at a time until it became a consistent habit. 
 
Affirmation and action as I like to call it.  The affirmation is that you definitely desire and want something different, a personal choice not someone else’s, which is then followed by an action step.  Now this first action step can be small but the point is you are taking action.  This new behaviour can be consistently practiced until it becomes a part of your routine and therefore your life, it might seem difficult at first but if you really want something different, persevere.  I am quite sure that this can work with anything that you choose.  A habit you want to change, a hobby you want to perfect or a body you want to hone.  For me what really jumps out is when I actually explore what the benefits are for me and write them down, it gets me each time.
 
If you want something different, try these first steps:

1. What do you want to change?
2. Do you consider this change to be a personal choice?
3. What will the benefits be to you in making this change?
4. What is the one small action step that you can take first?
5. When will you start?

 
By doing the exercise above, you will already experience a shift in your mindset or thinking as to how you view this change, which you might have been thinking about for some time.  It will no longer be something that you have on the back burner to accomplish, some day. 
 
Once you have implemented this first step and it becomes a consistent part of your routine, therefore a new habit, you can do the exercise again with something new that you would like to change.
 
The main thing here is we are going for a shift in mindset.  When you are successful changing something that you desire and want, you will also be sending out signals of success to your mind.  This will also help with embedding a positive mindset and in elevating your self-belief.