5 Steps to getting what you want

How often do you decide you are going to change something but then it just doesn’t happen? Perhaps you make New Years resolutions to make some big (or small) change in your life but by the middle of January it’s all forgotten?

Here are 5 steps to making change happen. Follow them and you will be amazed and surprised at what you can achieve.

Step 1. Know exactly what you want.

Understand what it is you want to achieve and make sure it’s something you really want. If you find yourself using the word ‘should’ then maybe you are focusing on what someone else thinks.

Got that? OK,

Step 2. Be specific.

the next step is to work out what it is you actually want and when you want it by. Let's take losing weight as an example.

Set a target for 6 months time and decide how much weight you want to lose by that time. Be specific. How many Kilos or Pounds will you lose by the end of June?

Right it down. Again be specific. Think about how good it will feel when you achieve it. Right that down as well.

Step 3. Make it visible

Tell people that this is your goal. Tell as many people as you can and make sure they remember it.

Put the goal somewhere you will see it everyday. And make sure you read it everyday. Imagine how good it will feel when you achieve what you have set out to do.

Got that so far?

OK. Don't stop there.

Step 4. Break it down

What do you need to do to achieve this target? Let's take the weight loss example again. Do you need to reduce your food intake? By how much? Do you need to exercise (more) regularly? How often? For how long?

Got that?

Now lets break this down into months. What will you do in each month to achieve your target?

Sticking with the example we've used so far:

Just take January. How often and for how long will you aim to exercise in January? How much will you reduce your food intake? How much weight will you aim to lose?

Then look at February. Ask the same questions but step it up a bit. Exercise more. eat less and lose more weight that you did in January.

Than comes March... but you've got the picture now right?

Step 5. Keep it up

OK. You’ve made some commitments to change but now you have to keep it up. Make sure that you keep reading your goal everyday. Make sure that people remember what you are trying to achieve and that you keep them up to date on your progress, even when you may have slipped a bit.

Reward yourself when you achieve a part of your goal. If you said in January that you would be exercising a certain amount, reducing what you eat by a specified percentage and losing a given amount of weight then make sure that you reward yourself when you achieve that, even if you don’t achieve it on time. Make the rewards simple and something that doesn’t conflict with what you are trying to achieve. If you’re not sure what to do for rewards try to write down 50 things that make you happy, not just big expensive things but small and inexpensive things as well. Then pick your rewards from that list.