“Change can be the catalyst to help you…LIVE well. BE well.”

That is where we left off in the last blog on COMMITMENT, and that is where we will pick up here on this final blog in a series of four on Making Small Steps The Big Focus.

New York Times best selling author Mandy Hale said it best, “Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong.” This is a profound statement, and one that we can apply to change in many different areas of our lives, including our health in Derby. It may be painful to change your eating habits, start a new exercise routine, or stop another unhealthy habit…but you don’t belong in an unhealthy body.

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Making Small Steps The Big Focus in Derby

If there is one common thread of regret woven through people as they get older it is that they wish they would have taken better care of themselves. I think many of you know this, yet the long-term change you really need in your life just may feel too daunting.

Where do you begin?

For starters, you have to know what you want to change. This may sound obvious, but you need to be specific, and not speak in generalities. Don’t say something like “I want to lose weight”. Your brain has no idea what do do with such a vague statement. Try something like “I want to lose 50 lbs. to return to the same weight I was the day I was married.”

Set a New Course: What is your plan? You cannot achieve significant change in your life without a significant and purposeful plan. Not sure what to do or where to start? Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Start Where You Are: Acknowledge where you are at this moment (no sugar coating). This doesn’t mean you beat yourself up over it, just acknowledge that things have gone sideways and they need to be changed. This will give you a finite jumping off point to start from.

Celebrate Wins Along The Way: This is so very important not to miss. As you progress with change, take time along the way to check in on your happiness. Celebrate small victories on the journey to your goal.

Finally, we tend to pursue change in areas where we feel like we already know what to do. We are content creatures. We crave what we know, and avoid the rest. Maybe...just maybe...pursuing learning is the very thing you need to begin to experience the changing.

Once we embrace the idea that changing requires new learning, we can reach the destination of our longing.

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Make the small steps your big focus today!

• Pick one thing that excites you when you think about what the change from it will do for you.
• Begin with the end in mind, and build a road map for how to end up crossing that finishing line.
• Take one, two, or maybe a few small steps today towards that goal.
• Pat yourself on the back for the progress you made today, or find a great friend who will. Or both!
• Embrace the joy found in learning new things during the change process. New learning plants seeds in this moment, that when consistently nurtured, harvests the momentum you’ve been looking for all along.

That momentum is what can, over time, help you to…

LIVE well. BE well.