How to Change your life
Controversial statement alert - Having motivation is over rated.
Hear me out first. Motivation ebbs and flows. It’s great when it’s there, but wtf are you supposed to do when it’s not? Just wait until it comes back? That sounds ridiculous IMO.
If you are looking to make a change in your life, discipline and commitment are what you need. Those things make way for consistency, which is vital for change to occur.
Now, when I say discipline I don’t mean the ‘no pain, no gain’ bs. I mean having a goal and staying focused to get there while understanding that there will be curves and dead ends that will throw you off course. That way the inevitable twist in the road is not going to make you throw in the towel completely or beat yourself up for “messing up”. Instead you start fresh the next moment.
Next up is commitment - that means knowing (and committing to) why you are making the change in the first place. What is your why? What fuels you? What is your guiding light?
Think about it and trust me when I say those curves are no match for you because knowing your why will keep you on track.
Time for a personal example -
About 6-7 years ago I was much unhappier and unhealthier (+40 lbs over the weight my body felt good at). I felt terrible, mentally and physically and had MS. Yay!
I wanted to make a change and so I committed to making decisions that left me feeling happier and healthier. That’s it.
In doing so, I put past Sam where she belonged - in the past. She did the best she could with what she had and it was time to move on. In that moment, I was committing to my present self and my future self.
I knew to change I had to be understanding of myself - every time I tried to change in the past I would “mess up” then swing hard in the other direction. I vowed to have discipline in staying focused on my goal, while knowing life happens and nothing is perfect.
When I would debate about going to workout, I thought about my commitment, how I felt currently, and how I would feel after if I did the workout. Every time I would consciously chose to make the best decision for future Sam.
Some days that meant I would workout, because I knew I would feel better after. Other days that meant I skipped the workout, or just did the warm up then left because my body said ‘not today’. I never felt bad about doing that, because I knew I was setting myself up for success the next day by giving my body more time to recharge.
Because I had an end goal, knew what I wanted, but wasn’t forcing myself to be perfect, I never had the ‘fuck this, I messed up, let’s just forget this all together’ moment.
That led to consistency.
Over time (aka years) it snowballed into the creation of a healthier and happier life - one that I could not have even imagined back then.
Case in point that knowing your commitment (your guiding light) and being disciplined (having a mission while giving yourself grace) make it easier to be consistent.
If you know anything about making a change, it’s that consistency is key. All those seemingly small decisions you consistently make for your future self ultimately add up into big changes. And before you know it, you are the future self of your dreams.
Alright, now wtf are you waiting for?
Think about one aspect of your life that is less than ideal and you have control over it (aka something you can change). Like you can’t change what illness you have, but you do have control of how you live with it.
Next think about why you’re committed to changing. Pick a small habit to change and be disciplined in doing so. Then go from there.
Remember, there will be ups and downs, just stay focused and keep going.
If you want to hear about my journey with MS, overhauling my lifestyle and what I do now click here to listen to Episode #85 of the Thriving Over Surviving podcast with Edie Sohigian. We talk about all that and more!
