Making Things Sticky

Self-improvement is one of those things that some people appear to be innately good at, while others struggle with the basics of better behaviour. I tend to think of myself as falling into the latter camp. I'll start out with the best of intentions, but the changes don't stick - like any good New Year's resolutions. I've tried a bunch of things to try and trick myself out of it, and while I'm not perfect yet (nor will I ever be!), I do think I've improved at improving myself.

Here's a quick list of tips that have helped me:

• Start from the moment you wake up - That moment when you wake up and nothing is distracting you nor interrupting you is precious, use it wisely.
• Plan your morning before you fall asleep -
• Make sure it's a change you want to make - If you don't want it, you won't get it.
• Do it every day - When you start doing things every "couple of days" it's easier to lie to yourself saying "3 days is every couple of days", then 3 becomes 4, 4 becomes 5... Then you realise you haven't done it in months!
• Believe it's possible - Some things happen whether we believe they can or not. But things are far more likely to happen when we believe.
• Start small - How do you eat an elephant? Starting with the soft underbelly, one small bite at a time.
• Measure your progress - If you don't know what progress means in the context of your goal, start breaking it down into smaller pieces.
• Enjoy your progress - Pay attention, be persistent, and you'll start to notice changes in yourself. Enjoy it, you're getting closer to your ideal you!

Let me know if you have any tips of your own!