You’ve got the drive to make a change, you’ve researched ‘how to _____?’, you’ve even told your family and friends you are on a mission to improve your life (run 5k, lose weight, study nutrition, eat healthier, get fit, get toned…) You start tomorrow… and for no particular reason (or maybe you do have a list of excuses) you fail to start. Overwhelm has kicked-in, confidence is knocked and you realise, you don’t actually know where or how to start!

Having the self-belief you can successfully achieve change is the biggest potential barrier to starting. Low confidence, fear of the unknown or negative beliefs from past experiences are all triggers that can stop us in our tracks (whether you are aware of these feelings or not). The first step is to appreciate the small wins and prove to yourself YOU CAN DO THIS.

3 effective ways to start making a positive change in your life:

1. Reduce To The Ridiculous (by John Assaraf, leading behavioural and mindset expert.)

Start small – choose the smallest step you can take that will bring positive change into your life.

Example: you want to feel happier and have a more positive mind-set. Choose to read one positive affirmation a day.

2. Commit To Just One Thing At A Time

With all the information out there it’s easy to want to do it all! However, before committing to a list of changes, start by committing to just one thing at a time. Once this becomes a habit or part of your daily routine, introduce one more and so on.

Example: you want to eat healthier, add an extra portion of greens into your daily diet.

3. You Will Fail – Embrace And Predict

Without failure you will never learn from your mistakes. To prevent it stopping you from getting started, write a list of the potential barriers you can envision. Reword these barriers as problems and then write the solutions.

Example: I will exercise 5 times a week.

Barrier: Time.

Problem: If meetings will run over at work I will miss my gym classes I have planned to go to.

Solution: When meetings over run I will go the local park and go for a run instead.

It’s easy to fall into the mind-set trap of ‘if I can’t do it the way it ‘should’ be done, or ‘if I can do it perfectly there is no point in even starting’. By taking out the pressure of doing it all, you will be able to start making positive change in your life. Most success in life comes from consistent small steps over a long period of time. Use the steps above and start positively changing your life today.

Got the drive to start? Register to my new class Climb Your Mountain.

An interactive, motivating and goals driven class where you will learn how to create actionable steps needed to turn your goal into a life changing experience.

To register your interest, email heidi@heidijonescoaching.com

A health coach supports you in identifying and overcoming the obstacles that are holding you back to living your healthiest and happiest lifestyle. If you would like to know more about the health coaching program or are in need of an accountability partner, get in touch by emailing heidi@heidijonescoaching.com