Commit to change, one step at a time

One of my coaches believes that life is like a three-legged stool with the legs representing our health, our wealth and our relationships. Most of us, and I know I am one, have a stool with such uneven legs that it can’t stand up.

So, for the coming year why not set yourselves some goals across all three domains? If you find that you are very focused on your career and not so much on health, prioritise the weakest leg of your stool. You will find the benefits exponentially more impactful than simply focusing on what you find easy to do. You will have better balance and a more complete life.

Use some of the techniques you have already tried. Be honest with yourself. Avoid beating yourself up. Be determined. Be committed. Play to your strengths. Start small by developing a simple habit that you can then build on. For instance, ‘every evening I am going to be home in time to have dinner with the family’. Then ‘when I am having dinner with the family, I am going to make my daughter and her day the centre of my attention’. Before you know it, your life will start to have better balance and richness.

Those small wins will give you the courage and discipline to stick with them. Don’t worry too much if you miss an evening but notice when you are in danger of missing two in a row because that might indicate that you are developing another habit that isn’t so helpful.

In his book ‘Atomic Habits’, James Clear shows how making small changes can have a dramatic effect over time. Take advantage of that phenomenon.

Remember that success can be defined as doing the right things in sufficient quantity over a long period of time. Take the ‘long game’ approach to becoming the best you can be.

It is the start of the New Year. Let’s make it a new beginning.