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Home » Lose Weight Safely » Try This Bite-Sized Approach To Personal Improvement – Forbes

Bite-sized goals are easier to achieve and increase the appetite for continuous improvement.

Achieving personal goals can be as frustrating as trying to nail Jello to a wall.

Lose weight? Get more sleep? Exercise daily? Take a dream vacation? Improve a relationship? Earn a promotion? Read more books? Watch less TV? Cut back on social media? Save more money? Spend less?

The list can go on. Set a worthy goal, then fail to achieve it. Honestly, most of us have been there, done that.

Rather than buy a ticket for another guilt trip, how about taking a different approach?

That different approach can be found in the work of wellness expert Brett Blumenthal. Rather than set yourself up for disappointment by setting big goals, she suggests one small change per week for 52 weeks. You might call it the yard by yard its hard, but inch by inch its a cinch approach to personal improvement. Its a surprisingly simple formula: focus on one small, achievable change every week. Then enjoy the accumulation effect.

Regardless of whats on your wish list of personal improvement, this research-based practice works.

Blumenthal provides user-friendly guidance in 52 Small Changes for the Mindand other books that bring sanityand hopeto anyone whos serious about doing better and being better.and other books that bring sanityand hopeto anyone whos serious about doing better and being better.

Rodger Dean Duncan:Your 52 small changes approach to personal improvement has proved to be very popular. Whats the rationale behind this practice?

Brett Blumenthal

Brett Blumenthal:Small changes have proven to be more successful than major overhauls for the following reasons

1.One Big Goal = Many Small Steps.Every big goal, such as weight loss, requires many smaller actions, such as cutting out bad foods, exercising, and eating healthy foods. Breaking a big goal into smaller components makes the process more manageable.

2.Extremes Dont Work:Overhauling our life, or more simply put going from all to nothing, or vice a verse causes burn out. Taking a step-by-step approach, however, makes change seem less overwhelming.

3.It Feeds Our Need to Succeed:Small Changes feed our need to succeed. With each one you successfully make, you fill up your confidence bucket, enabling you to take on more. Allowing ourselves to master small adjustments, gives us an opportunity to feel successful, and the motivation to forge ahead towards the bigger goal.

Duncan:If a person chooses to try the 52 small changes approach, whats a good way to decide exactly which changes to pursue?

Blumenthal:The 52 Small Changes concept is to make one small change per week over the course of one year to eventually add up to a larger change. Although the concept is structured, the changes you want to make are really up to you and the personal journey you want to have. In short, the changes should be small, manageable and quantifiable.

For instance, drink eight glasses of water per day vs. hydrate more. A change like get fit does not qualify as a small change. Instead, break it down into smaller ones such as: Do cardio three times per week for 30 minutes each time. Then, maybe the next week, Do ten minutes of weights three times per week. Take a week to integrate a change before moving onto a new one. But if one change is really easy or already part of your life, feel free to move forward with another change.

Duncan:You recommend writing a personal mission statement. What are the steps to doing that, and what role can a carefully-crafted mission statement play in a persons quest for improvement?

Blumenthal:In business, companies summarize who they are and their intentions with a mission statement. This gives the company direction and a consistent message in everything they do. Developing a personal mission statement gives you a way to definethe type of person you want to be and how you want to contribute to life.It should be reflective of your authentic self, and not other peoples beliefs or values. It should inspire you, and if written well, should provide you with direction and motivation in life.

Try keeping your statement to a few sentences or a short paragraph. Key questions to answer should includeWhat characteristics and qualities do I want to live by?How do I want to contribute to the world?What kind of influence do I want to have? andIf I could, what legacy would I leave?

Heres an exampleI will put my best into everything that I do. I will live with passion and choose activities, friendships and relationships that bring out the best in me. I will bring out the best in others and will give my time and energy to the things I value.

Goal setting? Yard by yard it's hard, inch by inch it's a cinch.

Duncan:You recommend a six-step path to personal reinvention. In a nutshell, what are those steps?

Blumenthal:Just like any large corporate transformation requires a structured plan to be successful, so do we as individuals.

The six steps I recommend are

1.Identify the Need.Realize something in your life isnt right and that a change is needed (e.g., you have been miserable at your job for more than a year)

2.Discover Yourself.Build self-awareness so when you embark on a transformation you remain true to yourself and set yourself up for the greatest possible success

3.Design Your Vision.What change do you really want to make and what is the end result you want?

4.Create the Plan.Think about timeline, smaller milestones and all that is required to make the change happen.

5.Make it Happen.Put the plan into action and hold yourself accountable

6.Monitor Progress.Check in and see if things need to be adjusted or if timelines need to change based on your progress.

Next: In Goal-Setting, Small Can Translate To Big Success

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Try This Bite-Sized Approach To Personal Improvement - Forbes

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Home » Lose Weight Safely » Try This Bite-Sized Approach To Personal Improvement – Forbes