5 "Secrets" to Making Lasting Behavior Change (so that you actually accomplish your goals all year long)
Have you ever set out to accomplish a goal, only to end up back where you started just a few weeks later? You likely made some progress in the beginning, but somewhere along the way you “fell off the wagon”, felt defeated, and believed that you just didn’t have enough willpower or time to commit to making the change.
If this has happened to you, I have good news. It’s not all your fault. So please, don’t blame yourself.
Falling into bad habits or falling out of good ones often has much less to do with you, and much more to do with how the habit or goal is structured. Bad habits have a poor reputation for repeating themselves over and over not because you don’t want to change, but because the way you’ve gone about it is unknowingly working against you. It’s a hard truth, but it’s true.
Most of us have something we are working on in an effort to help better ourselves. You might desire to reduce your stress, be more physically active, begin eating healthier, improve your sleep, become better organized, or manage your weight. Each of these goals has a common denominator: they require behavior change.
No matter what the goal you have, mastering the art of behavior change can be the key to your success.
What is Behavior Change?
Behavior change is the process of adjusting a current behavior in order to develop a new one. And in order to change our behavior, we have to change our habits.
The hard truth is that changing behavior is difficult, no matter how you look at it. But just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Change is ALWAYS possible, even if you’ve tried and “failed” numerous times, and even if you have many factors working against you.
How to successfully create behavior change (and develop new habits for the long term)
First, realize that lasting change and developing new habits does not happen overnight. It will be a process that gets developed and strengthened over time. The first step is to gain awareness, and then dedicate time and effort into the behavior change.
Here are some effective tips (& action steps) to help you be successful in both creating AND accomplishing your goals.
Find your WHY.
Rather than always thinking about what you want to change, think about WHY you want to change it. Who do you want to become, and how will changing this behavior or habit help you get closer to becoming that person? It’s easy to say “I want to eat healthier” but with that simple statement there is nothing emotional tying you to the desire, which means it will be really easy to avoid making or not sticking to change. Instead, think about WHY you want to eat healthier. Is it to have more energy? Less pain? Manage disease or a health ailment? Prevent disease?
→ Action step: Highlight the benefits of making a change to your current habits. No matter what it is that you want to achieve, get clear on your WHY by writing it down and/or by sharing it with someone.
2. Break it down.
Another reason why habits and goals often fail is because they are too ambitious to begin with. It is great if you want to better manage your stress, but you won’t do that by having a vague desire with no real action steps. Break down your large goal into a series of smaller ones to make it more realistic and doable.
→ Action step: Write down something you want to accomplish in the next year. Then, write down a series of 3-5 smaller actions you can take to help set you up for success in achieving that goal. Using the example of managing stress as the big goal, examples of smaller goals might be to set specific boundaries around the hours you work, to dedicate one night a week to doing something relaxing that you enjoy, or to spend your commute practicing deep breathing without distractions.
3. Anticipate barriers.
It is pretty much a guarantee that you will face road blocks as you try to change a behavior and accomplish a goal. It is easy and often tempting to give up when these occur, especially if they happen often. By anticipating them and preparing for them ahead of time, you further support your ability to work through them.
→ Action step: Think about what could get in the way of achieving your goal. Is it not getting enough sleep? Is it family members that tempt you with less healthy foods? Is it your tendency to over commit yourself to tasks that leave you with a lack of time? Make a plan for how you will address these barriers when they arise. Consider asking for support from loved ones as needed.
4. Change your identity.
How you view yourself can significantly hold you back from accomplishing your goals. If you view yourself as lazy, you may never stick to a new exercise regimen. If you view yourself and being unable to handle temptation, you may never succeed at developing healthier eating habits or set boundaries with your work.
→ Action step: Start viewing your desired goal as part of your identity. Instead of saying “I’m the type of person who wants this (with “this” being whatever you want to change), say “I’m the type of person who IS this”. Example: “I am the type of person who gets 8 hours of sleep every night” rather than “I want to get 8 hours of sleep every night”. It sounds simple, but this mindset shift can be VERY effective! What you do is often a reflection of the type of person you believe you are.
5. Seek Accountability.
Accountability is arguably one of the biggest factors that determines whether or not you will achieve lasting behavior change. There are many different types of accountability—to yourself, with others, using an app, etc, so the key is to figure out what type fits your personality best. It has been determined that you have about a 65% chance of accomplishing a goal if you share it with someone. That number increases to a 95% chance of success if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you’ve committed to working with (hint hint---a Registered Dietitian like myself!)
→ Action step: Figure out how you will keep yourself accountable for whatever it is you are trying to change. If it’s working with a professional for any health-related goals, please contact me and we can discuss what the best first step for you might be!
Lastly, the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (which is an amazing read, btw!) outlines the steps to creating a good habit as below:
Make it Obvious
Make it Attractive
Make it Easy
Make it Satisfying
Contrary, it explains how to break a bad habit like this:
Make it invisible
Make it unattractive
Make it difficult
Make it Unsatisfying
So there you have it---5 secrets (which aren’t so secret anymore!) to help make sure you achieve your goals this year. I KNOW you have what it takes to achieve them, and I hope you believe in yourself just the same! PLEASE reach out if you’re looking for support on your health journey. I am here for you!
Questions? Just ask. I’m always happy to help!