I am a firm believer that if you are not happy, then the only way to become happy is to change. Makes sense doesn't it? If you are unhappy, why would you want to go on doing things the exact same way? Some people are so caught up in their funk, though, that they no longer no how to change. This post is to remind people how to change. We all need a reminder sometimes! Myself included.
The first step towards change is that you actually have to do something different. Norman Vincent Peale once wrote that even the tiniest change could help open your mind to the possibilities. He went so far as to recommend that when you get up in the morning, if you normally put your right shoe on first, then for one week you should get up and put your left one on first, just to get used to a tiny change. I don't think I need to go that far! For me, the first thing I do is make a plan on how I am going to change. Knowing myself, just changing for change's sake won't make me happy. Instead, I try to figure out what will make me happy and then make a plan on how to achieve those changes. Don't laugh! Too many people say they want to change, but then don't know what to change to make themselves happy. The not knowing what will make them happy, freezes them like a deer in the headlights! By making a plan that includes how I am going to change I know exactly what I need to do, and I have some idea on how it will make me happier. Here is a great example. Recently, I stopped working out six days a week due to overcrowding at the dojo, and I am back to working out twice a week. The change made me unhappy since I am used to working out six times a week and I find I don't lose as much weight and I am stiffer if I don't work out. To get myself back on track I have cleared out around my punching bag in the garage and raised the bag a bit. I have also cleared the junk from around my weight bench and cleaned off my old exercise bike. Now my equipment is ready to use again. That was only the first step in my plan. Already I feel happier knowing the equipment is now ready. The next step for me was to set a schedule for when I am going to work out. I work from home, thus I am often working. When I want to do something, I need to schedule it in my mind, or I'll end up working right through. That is why I liked karate classes six times a week...I had worked a schedule up so that I got my work done and knew at a certain time I was going to get away from the desk and go workout. I have now decided to workout each morning before work. I am an early bird. Each morning, I wake up around 5:15 and force myself to go back to sleep until my alarm goes off at 6:30. Call it an internal clock, but I have regularly gotten about five or six hours of sleep each night for about the past 25 years. When I try to sleep longer (unless I am sick), I feel all achy when I wake up. I am now going to work out each day before going to my desk. Here is my schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 6:30: Get up, go to bathroom, do 100 quick pushups to warm up. Go down stairs: Lift weights for 15 minutes. Ride exercise bike for 15 minutes Do physical therapy exercises for my knee. Start work by 7:30 Tuesday and Thursday: 6:30 : Get up, go to bathroom, do 100 quick pushups to warm up. Go downstairs: Do 3 five-minute rounds on the heavy bag with 1-minute rests in between. Do physical therapy exercises for my knee. Start work by 7:30. Knowing myself, without a scheduled time to do it, I would likely put off working out. So, how do you make change to make yourself happy? 1 Actually decide what will make you happy. 2. Make a detailed plan on how you will get happy. 3. Write down your plan. 4. Schedule a set time to work on your plan each day. 5. Follow your plan! Note, it is important that you actually take action. If you don't then you didn't plan, you daydreamed!
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