How to Make Little Changes with Big Results

 **This is an article that I just submitted to a magazine to be published in March**

On Dec 31^st, you decided that you’d had enough and that you were going to make a resolution to stop a behavior, vice, or a mundane routine. Well, it’s been well over two months since your new resolve, so… how’s it going?

Whether we realize it or not, motivation for change occurs when something generates an unfavorable response. Something stops working, gets negative feedback, or becomes painful. Most years, we hope that the turning of the calendar will help to magically garner results, but there is no magic.  The biggest key to becoming the person you want to be is fine-tuning your decision-making skills. It’s not just for one decision either; you will be responsible for a hundred tiny little decisions that will eventually compound and give you the results you want. It took spending 20 minutes on the elliptical one July afternoon as the first step towards getting my Bachelor’s degree four years later.  How?  By following each of these key points in order:

1) Map out where you want to be—set a goal and the desired ending date.

                Put the goal date and time in the back of your mind and use it as reference, not as pressure. You have to start somewhere, so thinking through your plan is a great use of forward motion energy. I knew that I wanted to graduate before I turned 30, so I started at that date and worked backwards.

2) Start Small: Make a daily goal to keep confidence and the feeling of achievement high.

Don’t discount the power of mini-celebrations. You should give appropriate reward to yourself for doing something that you set out to do. Have you set out to take the stairs to your desk instead of using the elevator? You should feel pride in your decision and your follow-through.

3) Exceed your expectations: Surpass your goal and surprise yourself

As you go along, it’s important to not let tasks seem too daunting that you get discouraged. Set the bar low and meet it every time. When you feel like you can push the envelope and take it further, do so. Your self-satisfaction will increase exponentially.

4) Don’t lose sight of the goal, but don’t forget to have fun along the way.

                There were still a few semesters of classes left to take at the Junior College and I had to fit one in on the weekend in order to move on. Spending Saturday mornings in a biology lab wasn’t my idea of fun, but meeting excellent people who agreed to study with  me and trade off bringing coffee to class helped me to enjoy this stage.

5) Change the scenery

                You’ve finally pushed yourself out of your comfort zone. Now it’s time to really jump in with both feet. What sacrifices can you make in order to go full-steam toward your goal? It will be terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. I quit my full-time job and moved to finish schooling at the University. Don’t analyze it. Do it. Forward motion.

6) When you see the light at the end of the tunnel, put blinders on.

                You’re almost there and obstacles are being thrown in your way at every turn. In my last semester of college, both of my dogs passed away and the grief threatened to undue me. However, I knew that throwing a “it’s not fair” tantrum wouldn’t be worth missing out on my degree years down the road. Push the obstacles aside, knowing that the time and energy that you’ve put into getting to this place is so worth the reward!

-For Mallory :)