How to (Actually) Create Positive Change in Your Life
Are you ready for the most important question you'll ever answer? Here goes:
How does the life that you're living today compare to the life that you want to be living?
If you feel a little twinge of guilt when you hear this question, join the club: Everyone has something in their life they would like to improve on or change. It's part of being human.
But not everyone has learned to move past the guilt and into action. Are you ready to be one of the few?
Whether the life you want to live involves a major career change or just giving yourself more time in the morning to actually sit down and eat breakfast, I guarantee the same thing is holding you back: It's your SCRIPT.
In my keynote, I talk about new scripts and old scripts. Old scripts pin us down in the past and make us believe that we can neither enjoy life as it is now nor obtain the life we want in the future. New scripts are the thoughts in our head that we want to believe. They make us grateful for what we have now and ambitious for what's to come.
I know for a fact that writing a new script in your head is the KEY to making positive change in your life. But sometimes, there are blocks in the way. Here are the most common ones I hear--and how you can move them out of your way.
Block 1: It's too late for me.
Did you know that Ray Kroc was selling milkshake machines at 52 years of age when he made a change and officially started McDonald's? He's not the only one--Julia Child released her first cookbook when she was 50. And get this: Grandma Moses didn't start painting until she was 78!
If you're still breathing, it's not too late. I promise.
Block 2: I'm not talented enough.
I wasn't born knowing how to juggle five balls, and you can't expect yourself to be good at something that you haven't put at least 10,000 hours into practicing. Passion supersedes natural ability every single time, which is to say that the person who has more passion for their dream will be more likely to achieve it than the person with natural giftings who doesn't do anything about it.
I get it: Making a change is uncomfortable--and trying something new that you're not a master of feels vulnerable! But don't let that stop you from going after your dreams. You might not get it right the first time, or even the second or third. But remember, you're not allowed to stop until you've tried 5,000 times.
Block 3: I don't have enough time.
We all have the same 24 hours in the day: You, me, Michael Phelps, Elon Musk and Oprah Winfrey. While it may be true that your life is too full right now to make the positive change you want to make, it's not true that you don't have enough time.
The script of your life is in your hands, and you can make cuts to create more space. And it can start simple: Try waking up five minutes earlier each day. What can you accomplish towards your goals with those extra minutes?
Block 4: It's too overwhelming.
When you think about all the things you'd have to do to go after your dream, it just makes you feel tired. The to-do list you'd have to complete is long and the journey from here to there is even longer. But guess what? You can start small. Try changing just one thing in your daily routine to practice. Turn off the television 20 minutes sooner, pack your lunch or talk to a co-worker you've never spoken to before. Once you are able to make those small, daily changes, you will have exercised your change muscle so that you can move the big boulders.
And remember: change isn’t immediate. It happens step-by-step, word-by-word and minute by minute. What step will you take today?
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