One of the many things that I learned, during the certification process at HCI for life/health coaching, is "small hinges open big doors". I am all about (the new me) setting small achievable goals. However, I have not always been this way. This quote it has changed my life and it helped me realize I had been doing it all wrong my whole life. I had been subconsciously setting myself up for failure.
It is important that we set ourselves up for success not failure. Picking one small thing that you can do consistently to move forward is where it's at. An example that I often share is meditation. I knew that I wanted meditation to be a daily practice. I had tried many times to make this a consistent part of my day but kept failing. It was like I would do good for about 1-2 weeks then give up.
The problem was that I was trying to spend 20-30 minutes a morning doing this. If I overslept then I did not have time. I would get frustrated and just stop trying.
After listening to a particular Mindset Mentor podcast (I wish I could remember the particular one,
because it was sooo helpful) it dawned on me that my goal was too large. I decided to commit to 100 days of daily meditation. My goal for time was 3 minutes a day for 100 days.
What I discovered was this:
*Often times I ended up meditating for longer than three minutes
*After about 60 days of being consistent it became an automatic habit, it was just something I did and if it did not happen in the morning my mind reminded me at night when I laid down for bed. It was amazing!
*At first meditation was uncomfortable for me. “I remember thinking damn I thought this was supposed to make me feel better not worse” I kept going because I had committed to 100 days not because I wanted to or because I felt like. At some point the uncomfortableness passed. Fast forward to present day and I can 100 percent see and feel the difference mediation has had on my life.
Just a few of the benefits I have noticed with consistent meditation:
*Helps strengthen intuition. I can now use my intuition as a guide instead of constantly relying on what other people are doing for guidance or other people’s opinions.
*More awareness of my internal dialogue
*Increased ability to take control and redirect my thoughts into more positive thinking.
*Feeling more connected to me and more present in my body and in life.
If there is any goal you are trying to reach or any change you are wanting for yourself ask What is the smallest step I can take to get there? What is the smallest thing that I can commit to doing daily that will move me forward?
Below is a link to a podcast to Mindset Mentor. They are very helpful 10-20 minute podcasts on a variety of subjects that can really help you make a positive shift in your life.