How To Create Lasting Change

 

Setting expectations for change

The push to see instant success and change is a sure fire way to set us up for failure. It is this expectation with time and our lack of patience that trips us up. 

So what if we played with the concept that 2023 was the opportunity to take the entire year to set us up for 2024? A year to build foundations to allow for lasting change.

During the Xmas period I had two of my very dearest friends stay with us. We hadn’t all been in the same room for over 10 years and we picked up exactly where we left off. The muscle memory of our beautiful relaxed and loving friendship was right there. It reminded me that it is this deep muscle memory that we want to be bringing into our lives in every aspect.

Muscle memory

Starting a new exercise routine, changing your approach to food and alcohol or perhaps starting a creative routine is not something that comes to life in weeks or days. It takes months of building that muscle memory to form a new version of you. If we think about the fact that our body regenerates all its cells in two years, what if we gave ourselves the same grace of time to create change?

Muscle memory is strong and once it is created it forms rock solid habits that last a lifetime.

Tiny habits

This concept of tiny habits is so beautifully discussed and presented in the book by James Clear - Atomic Habits. It is not by making massive changes that things shift, it is by making micro changes daily and sticking to the commitment to keep going.

If we look at the idea of fitness, it doesn’t make sense to go from no regime to walking 1 hr straight up. This will cause injury and affect your ability to get out there again the next day. Try simply moving 5 mins a day, EVERY day. Slowly as each week goes past you can start increasing by 1 minute. The impact of doing movement everyday will be so much more impactful than random heavy workouts. This doesn’t create muscle memory. We want our bodies to know that movement everyday is the norm.

Supercharging your routine

When you hold a selenite wand next to any other crystal it supercharges the power of the crystal. We want to take the same approach with our habits by adding in an affirmation to the process. Every time you do ANYTHING that relates to your new you, you need to acknowledge it and tell your body how proud you are of her.

Here is an example:

Before your walk, take the time to thank your body for committing to this change. “As I pull on my leggings and lace up my sneakers I feel so fit and strong. I have all of the ability to become fit, healthy and sexy af.”

By starting the sentence with 'As I...' it fixes the affirmation to the action. Repeating this each time means that each time you do this actio in the future the affirmation will start firing naturally without even thinking it.

After your 5 minutes of movement, notice what you notice about your body, are there any micro shifts? Even if it is a pain, this is change. Every tiny change will start building that muscle memory.

Remember, the more you repeat the action with the affirmation, the more your muscle memory will build, the more you will build the proof and belief.

Action Steps

Take one of your ‘plans’ for change. Shred it!!! 

Down to a tiny habit. Something you know you can do every single day.

• Goal - To walk 30 mins daily? Make it 5 minutes of any movement daily.
• Goal - Waking up 2 hours earlier? Try waking up 5 minutes earlier.
• Goal - becoming a writer? Try writing for 5 mins a day.

Until the repetition feels so natural that you do it without thinking, stick to your tiny habit.

FORGET your timing, time is an illusion!!!

FOCUS on how incredible it will feel when you reach your goal.

FEEL like you have already achieved it.

Let your mind and body enjoy the glory of getting there and you will, I promise.

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Happy New Year! I’m so excited to see what uncovers this year. I am sitting in complete flow and allowing the ideas to come and I know that if I keep showing up each day, it will all evolve into something beyond my wildest dreams.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Tuesday Tips. I'd love it if you can share it with someone you think might benefit from it too. Thank you ❤️

See you next week! Leina xx