Give Yourself A Month And Regain Your Life

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

You can only be as happy as you allow yourself to be. Too many people like to point fingers and blame everyone and everything but themselves for the misery in their lives. If only there was a healthier place to eat near work, I could lose a few pounds. If only the bike trails weren't so crowded, I could get more exercise. I wish they put more educational programming on television so I could improve my knowledge. The only way to improve yourself is to make changes that you can adhere to. Habits are hard to break, especially bad ones, so it's safe to assume that starting good habits and keeping them is even more difficult. If you can give yourself a month, just one month, to stick with something new then you just might be able to make a positive change in your life.

Try this simple five-question plan for making just one little change in your life. If it works, perhaps you can apply it to more areas of your life that you've always said you'd like to change, but never got around to actually doing.

What's My Problem?
The only way to cure an ill is to locate the cause. What is something that makes your life uncomfortable? It's helpful to write this down along with all of your other answers. It will not only help you brainstorm ideas, but it will give you a reference to access when you feel like your slipping off course. For our purposes, we'll use the example of weight. You're fifty pounds overweight and you want to get back in shape. You feel self-conscious because of your girth when you walk around work or in public places. You've had to buy bigger sizes of clothing which forced you to spend from an already stretched budget. You feel unattractive and lonely which only causes you to stay at home and eat more.

How Will I Change It?
You've identified the problem now what will you do to improve your situation? Brainstorm all types of methods no matter how far-fetched or impossible they may seem. You know how to change your current state of affairs. You need to eat healthier and in smaller quantities. You need to exercise regularly and get your metabolism going to help burn excess weight. You need to put yourself on a regular eating schedule with planned meals and a matching exercise program with a lot of cardio work. Consult friends, your doctor, even an athletic trainer or dietician. These changes are not easy and you shouldn't have to face them alone.

What Good Habit Will I Replace It With?
The change you're making will always leave some sort of hole or gap in your routine or life. You need to replace it with an activity that helps to take up the time that your bad habit once held. It needs to be something that you would look forward to or want to do. There's no sense in replacing something that you like to do but shouldn't do with some torturous event. Instead of sitting in front of the television and eating, you're going to go to the gym or bike or run. You will meet a community of people at these places that are also there for their health and you will make friends. These friends and their conversations will fill the void of eating and feeling sorry for yourself.

How Will I Stick to It?
You will need a daily reminder of why you are doing what you are doing. This is why it is so important to write down the answers to these questions as a reference for when you're feeling like abandoning the whole thing. Perhaps you should look for a photo or write down something that a friend said about you when you weren't feeling your best. Back to our example, you could keep a photo handy of what you used to look like with all that weight. Maybe it's a picture from a party with you in the back not looking so enthused to be there. Do you want to go back to feeling bad about yourself? Do you want to feel lonely again and unwanted? Keep yourself talked into the mindset that got you on the road to change to begin with.

What's My Reward?
Reward yourself for a job well done by reaching certain benchmarks. Divide your month into two-week or one-week increments, or even days, if your habit changing is especially difficult for you. Once these days are marked, they are targets that must be reached to receive award. Reward yourself with something that has special meaning to you. At the same time, keep these rewards within reason. If you were trying to stop smoking, you shouldn't reward yourself with a cigar! Back to our example, perhaps a low-fat or fat-free ice cream is in order for your efforts at the dining table and the gym. Or, if you've completely broken your eating habit, you might not even be interested in food and would rather go to a movie or buy a new record.

Break your habits, don't let them break you. Only you have the choice, will power, and determination to make changes to the things in your life that bring you despair. Look inside of yourself and place the blame on the correct shoulders. Identify, change, replace, persevere, and reward yourself with positive changes.

About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English writing and communication.