From Our Coaches Corner
By: Gail Straker
Welcome to our Coaches Corner! In these posts, we will be sharing some of our best tips and suggestions from our Coaches. Today, Gail Straker talks about how to make big changes by taking teeny tiny steps and staying focused on your “why.”
Big Changes Take Teeny Tiny Steps
Changing our habits and creating new routines can help us achieve our life goals. Once we make the decision to change, making it happen can seem like a daunting task.
One key strategy when facing such a task is to break it into tiny steps. If the tiny steps seem too big, then break those into teeny, tiny steps.
Example: I decided I wanted to be more mindful. My tiny step was to write five things I was grateful for each morning in my notebook. The first morning came. I stared at the blank page. Nothing. Second morning. Nothing.
I realized I needed the tiny step to be broken into teeny tiny steps. So, I broke it down like this:
1. Sit with a journal and pen.
2. Write the date.
3. Ask, ” What am I grateful for?”
4. Write it down.
5. Repeat tomorrow.
Think about the big changes you would like to make. Now, go take that first teeny tiny step!
If you change nothing, nothing will change.
Big Changes Take Desire
After deciding on which teeny tiny steps we are going to take, the next thing we need to have is motivation to make those changes. However, we often tell ourselves that we lack that motivation. We tell ourselves that we lack willpower. We tell ourselves that therefore we are not able to make changes. By seeing ourselves in terms of levels of motivation and willpower, we are seeing ourselves as less than, not good enough, weak.
Now, let us consider moving away from willpower and motivation. And let us consider instead, moving toward desire, your “why.” Your “why” could be anything, from wanting to be healthy enough to be able to attend your daughter’s graduation to wanting to regain mobility in order to spend quality time with your dog in the park. One of my clients wants to be able to play with her granddaughter on the floor and not need assistance to get up. Another client yearns to age gracefully and live in their own home, alone, for as long as possible. These are all “whys.”
Having a “why” keeps us moving forward. When you desire something, you focus on the outcome, not on what life may throw at you along the way. Using self-compassion, you can quiet the self-doubt and the self-critic within you by keeping your desire in focus. Stay vigilant and on the forward track toward your desire. Kind of like a streetcar.
What is your Streetcar Named Desire?