Sara Regester RN, BSN, NBC-HWC, Stress Mastery Expert at Directions 4 Wellness 

Humans are wired for change mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. Our skin cells, blood cells, and physical body change over time. We evolve our talents and skills every time we rewire our career. Our approach to personal growth over our lifetime includes many changes we have navigated. Whether we choose change or life thrusts it upon us, change is inevitable.

We are programmed to evolve old patterns and habits into new, more productive patterns. 

First, we think about it. Roll it around in our imagination…

What if scenarios may paint a picture.

What would be possible if I did______???? 

• How to move from contemplation to feeling ready to make a plan? 
• When you have a plan how do we get ready to execute the action? 
• Once we are taking action, how do we sustain the consistent steps forward? 

Moving from Contemplation to Readiness 

You are contemplating a change. You think about it. It floats into your thoughts a few times before you really notice that this change is important to you. You may even start talking about this change with key friends and family. Finally, you recognize you are ready to learn more about it, or you may consider options for a plan. You are still not taking action to make the change at this stage. 

Create a Vision for Transformation 

Tapping into internal motivation increases as you explore your vision for what makes it important. The key is to explore your personal values for importance. Not why someone else thinks it’s a good idea, not to follow a current trend, or to do what you “should” do, but to honestly evaluate “what’s in it for me?” 

Ask yourself, ‘If I don’t make any change, what will my life look like in 3-5 years?’ 

Then ask yourself, ‘If I do make this change, what best version of my life can I imagine in 3-5 years?’ 

Assuming Self-Authority and Taking Responsibility 

We won’t change anything in our life or our lifestyle about our health, our stress, or our approach to sustainability until we take one key step. We need to be ready to assume self-authority and take responsibility for the change we desire. We must commit to the steps that will get us over the hurdles and through the barriers so we can execute consistent action steps to rewire a new habit. 

We must be aware of the traps that stop us in our tracks: doubt, blame, resistance, and feeling seduced to slip back into our hard-wired comfort zone. We also need to accommodate external barriers such as work commitments, family, weather, and time constraints. 

Formula to Rewire a New Habit for a Productive Pattern: 

• Take small steps that are doable and repeatable. Keep the plan realistic with time and commitments. No step is too small.  
• Build on success to add more steps over time. If a plan is too big or has too many steps, you will stall. If a plan is too simple, you may not start. Find the sweet spot of stretch and inspiration. 
• Have a conversation with your partner, kids or co-worker who can hold you accountable. Hold yourself accountable with an app, your planner, or your smart watch. 
• When barriers come up, identify them and get back into the saddle. Barriers like family, work, travel, and weather may sabotage your plan. 
• Make a bump plan to work around barriers that come up. Include barriers in your plan so you can continue to move forward with the internal “Yes! I’m doing it!” 
• Tracking your progress visually supports consistency to stick to your plan. 
• Neurologically, it takes 30-66 days to rewire a new habit. Celebrate your success when you have accomplished your target. Three months is a solid timeframe to integrate the new productive pattern or lifestyle change as your new habit. 

When you are successfully taking consistent steps with the new pattern, you can see how, like dominoes, there are other changes that ripple in the aftermath. You can’t make a change in your diet without becoming more mindful about what you eat. You can’t increase moving your body without prioritizing your sleep and recharge. You can’t start a composing plan without modifying your space and routines for disposal practices. What change are you ready to assume self-authority and take responsibility for?