How to kick-start a change
Including really important do’s and dont’s
As with giving birth, it’s often the start of something new that is the most difficult and painful step. Once that is taken care of, the next steps almost follow automatically.
You have two options to kick-start a change. You either follow an approach based on low-risk-small-steps, or the band-aid approach. In the first approach you plan your change in detail and take small, but secure steps that will lead you to your goal eventually. The band-aid approach is the opposite. There you kick-off your change without having all the details clear just yet. You just pull it off and jump directly into the unknown, hoping it will all sort itself out one way or the other.
Low-risk-small-steps or band-aid approach
There are advantages and dis-advantages with both these options, and only you can say which one works best for you.
1) Look for inspiration
When I jumped right out into the unknown, I had no clue what to do next. I just knew I was wasting my precious life. I needed to leave, or else I would become ill. As my batteries were fairly low it also took a while to recharge them and understand what change it was that I needed.
I therefore started my change with looking for inspiration. I signed up for various seminars, courses, webinars and detected podcasts (yep, I’m a late podcast bloomer). Some of them were better, some worse, and some were really great. What they all had in common though is that they made me realize that I’m not alone and if others can do it, so can I.
2) All steps count
If you’re like me, impatient and want things to happen now, and not tomorrow, the low-risk-small-steps-approach can be quite hard. It may be difficult to see how those tiny ant steps are going to get you anywhere. But that’s the thing. All steps that take us towards our goals count.
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years
- Bill Gates
3) Make an action plan or visualize your goal
I am a fan of action plans, where you list the milestones and actions you need to take to achieve your goal. The perk is also that it gives you an overview, not only of where you’re heading, but also what you’ve already accomplished.
Sometimes I write down the actions, then set the plan aside and don’t look at it for a very long time. By just writing down what I need to do, I get to sort my thoughts and it becomes easier to see and prioritize the steps I need to take.
There is no harm in adjusting the plan as you go along. Depending on the timeline of the various actions, it is only logical that you will learn new things as you progress.
Not all people like to have it that structured though, but there are other approaches you can choose that may come more naturally to you e.g. a mind-map or vision board.
A friend of mine wants to become a digital nomad. Her dream is to be able to work from anywhere in the world. She doesn’t have her actions listed in an excel sheet as I do. Instead she has put up a picture of a café in Rome, where she can see herself sitting and working in October, when the autumn has started in Sweden. By that she keeps herself motivated even on those low days, that will surely come, because she always has her goal right in front of her.
4) Hire a life coach
Sometimes you may not know where to start, the next steps you need to take, or even dare taking that really necessary step that is way out of your comfort zone. In those cases it makes sense to work with a life coach.
When you find the right coach, someone you trust, magic will happen.
You will build up your self-confidence, and identify steps you didn’t even think of before. These steps are often critical to the success of your achievement. If you don’t dare to take them, you may remain exactly where you are, or walk around in circles, because you can’t break out of that old habit.
Together with a coach, you will investigate the reasons for why you have a dream, or want to achieve a certain goal. You will also talk about different actions that will take you closer to your goal, and how to overcome potential obstacles.
The advantage of this solution is that you are in control of all steps you define. By figuring out why your dream is important, you will be able to set the right priority thereof. The coach will also hold you accountable to your steps, whereas the probability of you to follow through with what you’ve decided is close to a 100%.
5) Join an accountability group
Research shows that if we tell someone else about our goals, we are more likely to follow through and meet them. If we keep our goals to ourselves, there is a high risk that we will never achieve them. It seems as if it’s easier to let ourselves down and not prioritize what it is that we really want. . .
Even if you don't hire a life coach, you can still connect with someone that is your accountability partner. This will increase your odds of success and achieve your goals massively. Want to know by how much? You might have guessed it already, but let me make it crystal clear. Okey. Here it comes. 95%.
Yes, you read it right. 95%, meaning, if you have an accountability partner there is a very small risk of you not reaching the goals you set out.
6) Surround yourself with supporters
You need to surround yourself with people who believe in you. If you don’t have them already, you need to go out there and find them. Start with networking events (also digital ones), Facebook groups and reach out to new connections on LinkedIn. There may be Trolls or other Energy Eaters out there, but don’t let them put you down.
You also need to be your biggest supporter yourself. You need to believe that you’ll be successful. What others think and say doesn’t really matter. If you don’t believe in the idea yourself, you won’t prioritize it.
Believing in yourself and having the support of others will help you immensely when you encounter Trolls, Energy Eaters and Doubters. Believe me. You will meet them. The ones who ask why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why you left that safe, well paid career for the unknown future.
That’s when you need the supporters. Sometimes it may not be sufficient to pick yourself up, but you need someone that can give you a kind nudge in the right direction. The good vibes direction.
7) Celebrate your successes
This is probably the one that we all do way too little of. We should celebrate our successes much, much more often. In the corporate world, I would even say that this has become next to none-existent. At least in financial services. We only chased the next milestone, and the next and the next. We never stopped to look up and see the great things we had already accomplished. Let alone celebrated what we had done so far.
I have a diary where I write down “best of the day”. I must confess that I don’t do this every day, but I do it once a week. It is very powerful, because it makes me realize that I take steps forward and it makes me feel proud of myself.
Take fifteen minutes and look back at the last five to seven days and write down your accomplishments. If you haven’t done this for a while, or never, then I suggest you write down what you’ve accomplished so far this year. It mustn’t be great achievements. It can be small things. You write down those that are meaningful to you. Feels good, right?
So what not to do then?
In my view, there is only one don’t.
Don’t postpone the change you’re longing for to a better time.
That day won’t come. There will never be a perfect time and date for that change. If you want it to happen, you need to kick-start that change of yours now. If you're not ready for the band-aid approach, why not start with the low-risk-small-step approach.
Pick one of the 7 do:s above and do that today. Yes. Not tomorrow. Start today.
