“Everyday the clock resets. Your wins don’t matter. Your failures don’t matter. Don’t stress on what was, fight for what could be.”
-Sean Higgins
Change happens one small step at a time. Have you ever gotten annoyed with repeating the same bad life habits? Every week brings the opportunity to face the same challenges, until you make a decision to break the cycle. The great thing about each new day is that it gives you the opportunity and freedom to choose change. With that choice comes the responsibility of taking action which starts with targeting the small daily steps.
The thought of changing something that has become habit and routine can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. Just thinking about the amount of work and intentionality it takes to break a bad habit can be discouraging. But one thing that gives me comfort is remembering that change happens one step at a time and it’s the small steps taken daily the will produce great results.
I remember when I first started my health journey I had a habit of drinking a lot of sodas and I hardly ever drunk water. I knew that in order to get healthier I needed to cut back on the amount of sugar I was consuming each day. I challenged myself by taking small steps, three bottles of water each day was my goal. That may sound ridiculous to some people but I really wasn’t taking good care of myself. Instead of focusing on cutting out the sodas I focused on what I needed to add to help me improve. My focus was implementing the solution to my problem and not so much eradicating the problem. Once I started meeting my goal of three bottles a day I felt more encouraged to drink more water because I realized how much better I felt by drinking more water. Some days I didn’t meet my three bottle goal, but each new day I just kept trying until it eventually because habit.
This process taught me the change really does start with making small daily decisions each day. Every day you have to wake up and decide that you are going to do better by adding whatever small changes you need that will help you. After I achieved my three bottle a day goal I increased my goal to six bottles. Drinking more water challenged me to get better in other areas such as exercising and eating right. That one small step of just increasing my water created a ripple effect of change. It showed me that if I could change one habit by taking small steps I could do the same in other areas of my life. When you break a habit and it starts to have a positive impact on your life it encourages you to change. Those changes won’t come easy and the process won’t be perfect but you just have to remember that each day is the opportunity to start fresh. If you have one bad day be willing to try again the next day.
That’s how change happens. Change is slow and steady. It takes intentionality and time to break old habits and create new ones. In a society where things are fast paced it sometimes makes change feel out of reach because you can be so accustomed to seeing things happen overnight and instantly. But life doesn’t always work like that and once you gain that understanding that some things are a process it will help you be at peace with working the process. That’s one thing my health and fitness journey has taught me. Change is possible but you have to be willing to work at it everyday. It’s not easy but its so worth it.
These are some things I have learned about how to kickstart daily change one step at a time:
1.) Determine what you want to change
First you have to decide what you want to change. When you know what you want you are more likely to get it. Whatever you want to change is possible you just have to be willing to work at it.
2.) What actions can you do today to create that change
Make a plan and determine what actions you need to do in order to create the change you want to see.
3.) How can you add it as a part of everyday life
Discover ways you can implement those actions each day into your routine. Make it a goal to do the same things each day at the exact time if possible.
I just want to encourage you to keep on pushing forward. Change is possible if you truly work at it everyday. Be intentional in making time for the things that you desire to see changed in your life. Don’t ever give up on the things you desire. Remember that change doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen overtime. Keep on showing up and working the process. One day you will be able to look back over your life and be so glad you didn’t give up. Thank you so much for reading I hope this encouraged you.
What’s a change that you are currently working to create? Comment below I would love to hear your story. Follow more of my fitness and health journey on instagram @inhope_blog
Intentional Hope 