We love dramatic and instant results in this culture – just check out the magazine covers the next time you’re in line at the grocery: Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks! Destress instantly with this trick! Meals your family will love in 15 minutes! Flat abs in just 10 days! It’s tempting to be drawn into the notion that we can achieve big results with minimal time and effort; we’re always searching for the magic bullet for weight loss, anti-aging, stress relief, financial success, beauty, and more.
Yet the truth is that even if we achieve the dramatic results promised to us, they are seldom, if ever, sustainable. If you want a swift punch in the face, just ask someone on February 1 how their New Year’s resolutions are going. We overstretch, fall short, then feel bad about ourselves. This phenomena could be viewed as a weakness or collective character flaw, but I believe it’s just part of the human condition, and one, when honored and embraced, works very much in our favor.
In general, we as humans do not sustain drastic changes to our habits and routines. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, like smokers who have quit cold turkey, but by and large we are much more successful with small changes that are sustainable over the long haul, and therein lies the magic of baby steps – we can be consistent with small changes, and with that consistency comes huge, long-lasting results!
What might baby steps look like? Check out the following scenarios of how using this approach to meaningful change might look:
Finding stress relief
- Monday – Friday set the timer on your phone for 3 minutes in the morning before getting out of bed and just sit quietly and breathe. No need to wrestle with thoughts, let them come and go. Just sit with the intention of breathing deeply
- Find a mantra each week to ground yourself (For instance, “I trust life to unfold for my highest good,” from Louise Hay), or follow my daily quotes on Facebook. To remember we are each a thread in a grand tapestry helps put daily stresses in perspective
Improving nutrition
- Each week at the store, put 1 new veggie in your cart and use it in a meal during the week
- During the day swap 1 soda for a water, or cut half your sweet tea with unsweetened tea
Stepping up fitness
- Find little windows of opportunity through your day to get in short bursts of activity, like 10 squats, 30 seconds of boxer shuffle or marching in place, or bust your best dance moves. I like to hold a 90 second plank during commercial breaks. You’d be surprised how many little bits of time there are when you can work in physical activity, and this is sustainable (and fun!).
- Do a 7 minute low impact workout on YouTube 2 mornings a week
When we take on small tweaks to our routines, tweaks we can live with over the long term, we slowly build success. As those tweaks become our new normal (and they quickly will), one new baby step can be added and on and on. Is this method flashy? No. Is it sexy? No. Trending? No. Does it lead to real, long-lasting success? Yes, absolutely.
If you would like help in identifying baby steps to take you in the direction of your goals and dreams, send me a message. I’m here to support you!
