One Little Shift

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Set Your Course in a New Direction

Set Your Course in a New Direction

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “if you set your course to get across the ocean and you shift by just one or two degrees you’ll end up in a different country!” What if you shift one little thing you do each day? What will your new outcome be?

For instance:

Feel more relaxed by taking ten minutes a day to meditate, breathe, or take a walk.

I’ve asked many clients over the years what they might shift, ever-so-slightly, to get the results they want. A typical list includes: go to bed earlier, get out of bed earlier, spend 20 minutes a day writing/journaling/meditating, take a full lunch break and really disconnect from work, spend quality time with loved ones (with no devices!), cut down on social media, spend an hour a week planning __________ (meals, tasks, retirement, etc.), keep a food/exercise/productivity log.

You can give up a sabotaging habit or create a new habit that will support a better outcome.

People typically think of one thing they “should” do, and they may commit wholeheartedly to that one thing, but after a few weeks it gets harder to do and they eventually fall back in the same rut. We need a new way to approach this. What thought is at the foundation of the habit?

The shift has to come from your inner beliefs first.

  • What lies are you telling yourself that support the old way?

  • Are you committed enough to let go of the old way?

  • Do you believe that shifting that one thing is worth it?

  • Does it feel like punishment or can you get excited about your “WHY”?

How will you FEEL and who will you BE when you stick with it long enough to see the changes in your life, your health, your home, or your job? What new, motivating thought will support your new outcome, rather than feeling like punishment?

It’s TIME

We all have different issues and needs. Here is the one I am committed to this summer: I will dramatically change the amount of PAPER that lives in my house. I admit it, I’m one of those people who saves articles because I will “someday” want to read them. I save the puzzle page because I like the “Dear Abby” articles for idea-fodder and the Sudoku and Crypto-quote puzzles. I keep the funnies page for an eventual laugh. I save notes from just about every meeting I’ve ever gone to, and have years’ worth of presentation notes, drafts, handouts, etc.
My “WHY” is simple, I’m tired of looking at all the paper and want to feel good when I am in my office.

What am I willing and able to do to make that One Little Shift?

I’m not willing to give up the daily newspaper, but I AM willing to stop saving the funnies page and be more discerning about articles to save. I’m willing to spend ten minutes a day to actually read the paper and stop letting them pile up! I’m willing to go through ten years of meeting notes and recycle most of them. While I’m at it, I’m also willing to give up saving statements from any account I can access online.

The Process to Get There – a series of statements that clearly define the path to success:

My Desired Outcome: A neat and simplified office
The Actual Hard Change: A new relationship with paper
My new supporting thought: Less is more
My new focus = My Vision: A decluttered and beautiful office
My action steps are twofold: Stop collecting papers and purge the ones I don’t need
My intentions: I will make paper purging and organization a regular time block in my day.
Make it fun:  Play music, listen to TED talks
The New Me: One who has let go of the need to hang on to old stuff

My championing thoughts:
One bite at a time! Celebrate the purge! Think twice before I save anything!
FOCUS ON WHAT I WANT (not what got me here)!

How often will I have to remind myself that “less is more”? Every day, until I feel it in my bones.

What little shift are YOU willing to commit to that will create a big change? Please share with me and we’ll hold each other accountable, or write to me if you need support.