Sunday, November 9, 2008

UNDERSTANDING THAT CHANGES IN LIFE STYLE OR HABITS IS A PROCESS

Some people think that life is permanent, where things will never change and the things that happened today will be the same tomorrow or the day after.

What they fail to realize is that nothing is permanent in this world, everything is impermanent, if you think you cannot cope with change, maybe these suggestions can help you get through.You have to accept changes as a reality.

Most people may have pre-conceived ideas of what lies before them, what will happen in the future, and what to expect based on the things that are happening.

Problems take place when a person with pre-conceived ideas that are fixed experiences change, whether drastic or anticipated.

This is because people who don’t accept change as something that is real will have difficulty in adapting.

Therefore, it is advisable that change should be accepted as true and evident.
Change is rooted in the field of psychology, where behavior, mind set, and personal perspectives are taken into consideration.

Experts say that for change to take effect in its most effective manner, the individual must learn and understand that it is a process.

Usually, change appears as a three-step process. While others may have different categories on each stage, still, change can be boiled down to three stages.

1. Decision making

The first stage is decision making. Some experts say it is the stage of unfreezing; where pre-conceived ideas or the so-called mind set are taken apart and the individual is compelled to overcome passive actions and be interactive.

The greatest action an individual can make is when he makes decisions.
When making decisions, you have to consider several things. To adapt to change, you have to avoid defense mechanisms.

In this situation, people who are more defensive often reflect on how they despise change. They don’t want to let go of their old ways.

However, or when people are ready for change and have decided to accept it, they are more than willing to try new things and are more open to new information.

2. Preparation

To effect change, you have to learn how to prepare for such occurrences. Experts say that things are more bearable if you know where you’re heading.

Hence, it is important that you have a clear understanding of your goals and objectives. To do this, you must have a deeper analysis of what is happening in the present.

Analyze the trends and predict possible changes that may take place, say, in two to three years.
With this, the transition stage will be easier to deal with because you have programmed or set your mind that these things will happen.

Preparation involves notable attempts to effect change, readiness to engage in such changes in the next few months, or the onset of setting goals.

3. Taking actions

Change won’t happen if the concerned individual doesn’t take action. In this stage, the individual is ready to engage will power and develop a sense of independence.

That is because they have finally decided on things, prepared for them, and are now ready to take action. This is where the actual process of change takes place.

For instance, if you want to change the quality of your life, you may start with deciding what actions you have to do to exhibit change.

Say, if you want to be a singer to earn more income. Then prepare yourself for the main event. After that, taking action is subject to your readiness to take steps and start applying for singing jobs in different organizations.

Keep in mind that each phase in the process has its own readiness. This will be the primary factor that will motivate you to move to the next level.

This goes to show that people can make changes by themselves. All they have to do is to follow these simple steps in the process of change and see the kind of future that lies ahead.

Habits, everybody knows that good habits need to be cultivated while bad habits seem to grow like virus.

Habits like self-discipline, self-control, order, and perseverance, are all habits that require a conscious effort to create and maintain.

Procrastination on the other hand, is a behavior takes no effort at all. For better or worse, it's your habits that make or break you.

The amount of self-help information available today is virtually unlimited, but it is of little value without first learning to direct your focus and attention.

The mind moves constantly from one idea to the next with amazing speed, rarely giving its sole attention to one subject for any length of time.

Yet success in anything depends largely on the ability to direct your mind; not only where it goes, but also how long it stays there.

Success, like anything else, must be learned and practiced. A habit starts out as no more than a thought. When this thought is pursued it turns into action.

If repeated often enough this action will impress itself on the subconscious mind and form a habit. Once a habit is formed it becomes automatic and no longer requires the attention of your conscious mind.

Take a close look at your routines. Routines are what form your habits. Examine what is working for you and what is not. Just as with a garden cultivating good habits will also take time and attention.

You need to nurture the flowers in your life and start pulling the weeds. If something is not working for you, get rid of it!

If you wish to be successful in anything you do, follow the clues.
Study the habits of successful people.

It is the habits we create that make us who we are. One habit all successful people have in common is the ability to focus their attention for extended periods of time.

How do you make focus a habit?

Start small and work up. Resist the impulse to jump from one unfinished project to another. Write out a priority list and pay particular attention to the order of that list.

Do not let petty distractions interfere with working through each task in the order you have established.

When you overcome the temptation to let your focus and efforts become scattered, you are creating the habit of finishing projects and seeing them through to the end.

Situations will always arise over which we have no control but we can choose how we react to them.

When you are thrown off course make a habit of returning to the task at hand as quickly as possible.

Learn to use your imagination and create a mental image of your end goal. The importance of mental imaging in attaining your goals cannot be over-stated.

This mental image will act as a blueprint for your action plan, bringing your thoughts one step closer to reality.

When you consistently focus on your metal image it will manifest in the physical world.

Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight, succeed in business, or simply trying to improve your life, the more detailed your image, the better your chances of achieving your ultimate goal.

Acknowledge the small things. Recognize and acknowledge each little success as it comes along. As one success leads to another they add up and you gain confidence in you ability to reach even larger goals.

Everything is learned by degree. Start small and practice daily focusing you attention for ever longer periods of time.

As you learn to focus, one small success leads to another until success becomes a habit.

The common saying is "the future is in your hands".