Creating Change in Your Life

We are all on a different journey in life and we have the opportunity to choose what path to take. For some this could be starting an exciting new business, seeking a promotion, trekking the Himalayas, focusing on our marathon training, or in some cases, just having time out of a hectic routine to relax. To ensure you achieve any one of these new directions, changes may need to take place in some areas of your life.

I am sure you would all agree that creating change doesn’t always come easy as we can be imprisoned by how we are experiencing the world. This is determined by the limitations of our thoughts and, non-productive thinking can lead us down the path of seeing the world in only black and white. To see the world in true technicolour, it is important to remove any limitations and restrictions through change and personal freedom. To overcome these obstacles, it is important for you to consider

• How you see the future and how you act daily – by choosing your path and then your response to circumstances and demands that arise on a daily basis, you will achieve a quality of life based on your true values
• How you manage your feelings - when you think differently you feel different and your brain alters and starts working productively for better outcomes
• How you view and take on new challenges – are you a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” person? Having gratitude for what you have in your life creates even more success.
• The way you adapt to and bring about change – because the world is constantly changing, in some cases we can readily adapt to this change, or if this is not possible, you have to decide how you need to alter your approach.

Now is a good time to reflect on what your life is about, whether you are satisfied with the progress you are making, or if you need to create a change in some way. While some of our unconscious processes may support your future new directions, it is important to have increasing awareness about non productive approaches. Your need to change is built around taking note of the following considerations.

1. How you see your future and how you act daily. Once you have decided what you are passionate about in life and take action to pursue your dream, many things will start and fall into place. Having a practical plan backed up by goals you are excited about will certainly support you. In some cases however, it is important to take note of situations that arise daily that may take you away from your new approach. For example, I am sure you have had many situations where you have been bombarded with text messages, emails, demands from others, or impacted upon by your own ineffective habits and old stories you believe to be true. Being aware of and removing your automatic unconscious response to these demands creates space and a new awareness for you. What you will then discover is a life based around your true values. In addition, by reviewing progress regularly, new habits will be created by building empowering beliefs. Overall “success then becomes the progressive accumulation of small steps”
2. How you manage your feelings. When you think differently you feel different and this creates new neural pathways and opportunities to move into new territory. The way to manage our feelings is through taking note of our emotions. Emotions are very powerful forces that support us in responding appropriately to other people and circumstances in the world around us. It is important that we learn how to feel the whole range of emotions and to express them accordingly. While emotions originally were given to us for survival purposes (through the flight/fight response), emotions now play a crucial role in guiding behavior and are a powerful influence behind human performance and potential. Therefore emotions and the way we feel are very important to us as they drive our behaviour. While our emotions can range from feeling excited to feeling ordinary, the important thing to recognize is that when we are in an unproductive emotional state, we can change. The first step to change is to develop emotional awareness by considering the following factors:
• Why we feel the way we do
• Thought management
• Unproductive patterns of behaviour
• Triggers that we react to
• Fears and beliefs
• Self esteem
With this information, it is important to then trace the root cause of any unproductive emotions. You can do this by taking notice of a number of things:
• How often are you running at less than desired emotional power?
• What situations are drawing on your power?
• What are your underlying habits, fears and beliefs?
• What thinking are you engaging in?
• How successful were you at changing this situation around?
• Overall patterns of behaviour
From this, you will then gain an idea of how you feel on a weekly basis and whether the states you are in are productive and in fact, whether this will ultimately lead you to success.
3. How you view and take on new challenges. Life creates challenges and it is up to us to decide how we view these situations. In some cases there are lessons to be learned when we experience a number of repetitive obstacles, although in these circumstances, some individuals can create a negative or “glass half empty” perspective. What is important however is for you to appreciate what you already have and what progress you have been making. Acknowledgement of progress and gratitude for what we have builds successful outcomes.

4. The way you adapt to and bring about change. Because our world is constantly changing, it is important to consider how we are responding to change. Do we embrace the change and see it as a new opportunity, or do we hang onto the past as a form of security? Sometimes we all like familiar territory, however growth does not come through things we are comfortable with. When we move into uncertain territory, we need to adapt and grow to meet to challenge and through this there is the opportunity to discover increasing potential. While many of us are familiar with creating results in our lives, are they the results you really want for the life? If not, then it is time for you to change. By understanding how you create results in general and the way you represent this internally, you will be able to apply this more productively to new directions in your life. Amazing outcomes will follow.