Changing habits, lifestyle, and mindset isn’t done in a flash. The key is to start small and take one step at a time.

Whether it’s improving physical fitness or strengthening your mental health, it requires some effort. You must be willing to confront the situation and be motivated to bring about change.

To succeed in making changes, you should first assess the situation, find motivation, set realistic goals, and then start the work.

Here’s some tips:

1. Motivation is the driving force behind reaching your goals.

Change is not just about setting goals, but also about what you can do to stay motivated to move forward.

Ask yourself: Why do I want this?

By asking “why” for each answer you receive, you’ll uncover your deepest motivation within two to five rounds of questioning.

2. Assess the situation and set realistic goals

Be clear and specific about what you want to achieve.

Consider whether your goal is realistic given your circumstances and resources. It’s good to challenge yourself, but the goal should also be attainable.

What are your obstacles?

Changing habits requires some effort in the beginning. It doesn’t happen by itself, and it’s easy to give up because you feel discomfort./p>

It’s not always easy to carry out a change process. It depends on the challenge you’re facing and where you are in the process.

Changing something on its own does not necessarily mean that you can do something about all the situations or happenings you face in your life. Sometimes, the most important realization you can have is that you are doing the best you can, given the circumstances.

3. Start small – one step at a time

How much time and effort will you dedicate to accomplishing this?

Break down your goals into small tasks so that you can experience a sense of accomplishment along the way. This will help you stay motivated.

Research shows that when creating new habits, it’s wise to make the new behavior easy to perform, so it becomes simple to repeat and can become part of your routine.

Change takes time. It requires long-term effort. You have to challenge yourself and work actively with yourself. An essential aspect of creating the motivation to change is to keep trying, even if you don’t see results immediately.

Imagine change as if you are walking up a staircase, where each step is synonymous with a step forward, or an intermediate goal on the way toward your big goal.

4. Don’t give up – change takes time.

Remember that when you are working to change, you will probably experience a little “downturn.” Don’t be disappointed with yourself, but just remind yourself that you tried and that next time, it will be better. It is important not to give up.

One reason you might give up is that you’ve set goals that are too high.

You start with good spirits and good thoughts. You have set goals and made good progress with change, but then things stop…

• Do you sometimes give up because you feel discomfort?
• ChatGPT You give up because you don’t feel a sense of achievement and start having negative thoughts about yourself?
• Do you give up because you’re unable to stick to the plan you’ve set for yourself?
• You give up because you encountered a setback?

Here’s an example:
Let’s say you have never jogged before and decide it is time to start a new and better life – from now on, you owe it to yourself to exercise every day. Things go well during the first week, but then you aren’t able to exercise for various reasons (you get injured, you have too many other things to do, you find it difficult to keep jogging or it was simply too hard). You give up because you did not reach the goal you set for yourself.

To actually try counts as mastery as well.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Look at what you’ve achieved. Maybe you just need to adjust the goal and expectations?

It is common for people to get stuck thinking negative thoughts about themselves. Experience tells us that many people need help turning the negative into the positive. Changing yourself takes time and along the way, it is easy to be most preoccupied with the things you haven’t been able to achieve rather than what you have.

It’s important to identify the thoughts that affect your belief that you can succeed. 

• What thoughts do you have about yourself?
• What thoughts are preventing you from reaching your goal?
• What could happen if you start thinking differently?

5. Track and celebrate your progress along the way

In a process of change, it’s often easy to forget all the small things you actually achieve on the way to the big goal. We recommend logging what you master and are grateful for along the way. It helps you build a sense of mastery, improves self-esteem, and endurance.

This helps confirm that you are on the right path. Additionally, you can revisit all the things you’ve actually accomplished when you encounter a setback, helping you maintain motivation.

Mindfit app can help you get started – download and try it for free for 7 days.

Good luck 🙂