Prior to his guest appearance at Green Is The New Black in Singapore on 22 October, Coach and Founder of Your Daily Bread, Andrew Stead, gives some motivational advice
We all understand how change is essential to life itself. We see seasons changing through the year; physical objects changing state; our own bodies and minds changing as we pass through life. And many a philosopher will tell you, “the only permanent thing in life, is change.”
Change is also at the heart of Personal Performance, and is fundamental to leadership – of both self and others.
Yet at the same time, change is fundamentally challenging. Many of us find it disruptive, disconcerting or destabilising. If change were easy, we would have no desire for improvement or aspiration, since we’d be able to realise anything we wanted.
Making change happen is a fundamental aspect of life. We should dedicate time to mastering the change process if we wish to lead more fulfilled, prosperous lives, and maximise our health, wealth and happiness.
The good news is that these days, there is plenty of great knowledge and a wide array of tools to help us achieve the right results.
Here are my three top tips to Make Change Happen:
Think Big
Without any inhibition, close your eyes and imagine what you would like to achieve. The clearer and more precise the details, the better. If you are thinking of a car, take time to imagine the exact finish, colour and smell. If it’s a particular job, imagine the location of the office, the tasks you are performing, the people sitting next to you, as well as those managing and empowering you. Don’t be hampered by where you are right now or think too much about the perceived barriers to achievement. Step one is simply creating a clear, exciting vision of where you’re headed. By doing this, you’re sending signals to the subconscious brain, requesting that your objectives become a matter of priority.
Start Small
While it’s important at the outset to Think Big, you must Start Small to achieve the goal. Don’t risk being overwhelmed by the task before you’ve even started. Build up confidence and consistency by completing tasks over time. One of the key tenets I advocate for my clients is “Small Steps Make A Big Change” – so don’t take on too much. No more than three objectives at a time. Start by committing as little as five minutes of your time each day.
Make Yourself Accountable
Take your mind away from its dream state into reality by writing down your objectives clearly. Share them with a friend or colleague, and ideally do this face-to-face to achieve personal buy-in. Alternatively, find a Buddy whom you can count on as an accountability partner. Having someone to share your ups and downs, and successes and failures with makes the journey more fun. These accountability tricks prevent the brain from hitting reverse and backing away from your goals.
Over time, it becomes a question of developing the habits that empower you to achieve your objectives.
As Winston Churchill said, “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential”.
If you’d like to master the approach of making the change you desire, join me at Green i the New Black the TALKS in Singapore on 22 October. I’ll be sharing some fail-safe, practical tools that can help you achieve that. I look forward to seeing you there.
This feature was a guest post by Andrew Stead, Coach and Founder of Your Daily Bread.
Andrew Stead is a Motivational Speaker and Executive Coach specialising in Stress, Burnout and Performance. He spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs before setting up a successful environmental start-up, and then becoming one of the world’s leading Executive Coaches. Find more at www.your-daily-bread.co.uk
This October, Honeycombers is focusing on all things green in collaboration with the festival Green is the New Black, and Honeycombers is having its first Green Week. Our aim is to raise awareness of the impact of environmental issues and how consumers can make conscious choices, that in turn makes a significant impact on the world we live in. We want to champion brands and people working to help us all live in a more conscious way, and working towards a more sustainable and thoughtful future. If you would like to share your story, email [email protected].