How To Make Change Happen

If you want to make change happen, you have to start by taking small steps.

I’m reminded of that story about someone standing in front of a mountain about to start a climb and feeling overwhelmed. When another person turns and says don’t look up at the daunting feat in front of you. Instead, focus on taking the first step, and then focus on taking the next step, and eventually you will find yourself at the top of the mountain.

I’m sure I don’t have it quite right, but you get the moral of the story. The big picture can be overwhelming, with so many things to do and accomplish. However, if you focus on the step right in front of you and then you focus on the next step in front of you, you eventually climb that damn mountain!

First you need to determine which mountain to climb. In which area of your life do you need to take small steps to make change happen?

Struggling with what mountain to climb?  Here’s what helped me.

First put all the areas of your life into Life Categories.

Basically there are 8 life categories and you can pretty much put all the areas of your life into one of these 8 categories.

1. Finances and Wealth: All areas related to money or managing your money
2. Career / Business: How you make your money, how you spend your time making money
3. Recreation / Fun / Entertainment: Earned pleasures free of guilt
4. Health / Wellness / Fitness: Your nutritional and exercise areas of life
5. Friends and Family: All important relationships; platonic
6. Personal / Spiritual Development: All the personal areas you want to develop
7. Love Life: Areas involving your significant other
8. Physical Environment: Your physical location ie: the house you live in; your city/state/country

Next take the time to evaluate each area of your life.

Think about what’s working and what’s not working. What ares make you happy and what areas make you unhappy. Where do you need to focus your attention to create the life you want to be living.

Using a scale from 1 to 10 (1=Not Good-Big things need to happen) (10=All is Good)

Now create Vision Statements and Goals

Take the categories with the lowest scores and decide which 1-3 categories you will focus on and create Vision Statements and Goals. (You can always come back and do the next steps with all 8 life categories. For now let’s start small and focus on the Life Categories that need the most love and attention.)

Congratulations! You’ve done the hard work to discover what areas of your life need your focus, love and attention. Once you have your vision statement and goals written you can begin taking small positive steps to make change happen.

Create a Vision Board or Vision Journal to keep you focused and moving forward throughout the year. Take a look at the supplies you will need and have fun creating your Vision Board or Vision Journal.