Here’s Why Making Small Changes Might Make the Process of Change Easier
Well over a year ago, I wrote about how making smaller changes might work better as a personal growth strategy than trying to make drastic changes overnight.
I’d recognised in myself that in the past making big changes quickly hasn’t always seen the best outcomes for me. I’d often quickly lose motivation when life got in the way and I’d slide back into old behaviours and habits.
Instead of traditional New Year’s resolutions I planned to implement a series of 365 small habitual changes that would gradually push me nearer to my goals.
The idea being that if I could make some smaller incremental changes every day for a whole year, or however long it took, then I would have a chance at being consistent with the smaller changes. That would then potentially lead to bigger changes being easier to make in the future.
The pandemic did throw both me and my project off track. So I have only recently decided to revisit and explore whether this approach will lead to long term behaviour change for me.
And even though I still have no idea if I actually have 365 small changes in me, I have already seen that this approach does actually work.
It’s fun, it’s really motivating and I am excited about it and this is why I wanted to share the experience in case it helps anyone who struggles with implementing new habits.
One of the areas that I want to work on is moving towards a much more sustainable way of living.
In particular, I am interested in consuming less and achieving less waste, especially food waste. To this end, I have recently purchased a second hand copy of Lindsay Miles’s book “The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen” — I am still working my way through the book but the words she uses in part one already really resonate with me.
She says that “change looks different for everyone and no one (absolutely no one) is perfect.”
This is so true. I know that the things I feel I need and want to change are going to be vastly different to anyone else. But this journey is all about the process of change. Making changes that are important to you as an individual. Change that is both practical and fits into your lifestyle and daily routine.
She also says that “change can often mean unlearning what we’ve done for years, and relearning a whole new way of doing things.
For some, change is exciting and something to be embraced. For others it is less easy; especially when we’ve been doing things the old way for a long time. For every person who decides to completely overhaul their life, there’s someone who decides to start with a small swap. There is no shame in starting small.”
This is the crux of it, starting with making incremental changes is moreish, you start a snowball effect. When you see that it works you will keep wanting to make more positive changes.
Lindsay’s book is based around three pillars; three interconnected ways we can make sustainable change. They are around the use of plastic and packaging; your carbon footprint and food waste and landfill. I already love her approach looking at each of the areas and then giving you options about what you’ll do about each one. There are simple changes through to harder changes so you have somewhere to start, somewhere to improve and something to aim for longer term.
Quoting an ancient Japanese proverb, “vision without action is a daydream”, she says, “There is no change without action, so less dreaming, and more doing. Whether you’re prioritising one issue above all else, or caring about a number of different things and trying to improve a little bit in each of these areas, changing for the better is always going to be, well, better”.
I’m on my 365 day journey, #365smallchanges, what difference are you going to make in your life?
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