The hardest part about change is actually pretty simple, Don’t do the same thing as the day before.
If you dedicate yourself to not doing the same monotonous routine as you have yesterday, this past week, month or year, then it is almost guaranteed you will see results begin to manifest themselves in your life in astounding ways which will feel and present themselves as opportunity and appear to be divine intervention.
Most usually, the change in routine that most people crave is temporarily satisfied by the holiday rush, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s where the hectic schedules of our lives, in combination with planning friends & family gathering events, seem to be so chaotic that it masks itself as actual change. So much chaotic change takes place during this time which disrupts our normal routine that we begin to be inspired by it, as if we are ready to take the reigns and change even more. We promise ourselves so many resolutions from gym memberships to career changes, living situations and education, we promise ourselves that we are going to be better this year. Once the dust of holiday madness settles we are only left with a slightly different version of our routines and essentially the same exact version of ourselves.
Regardless of the fact that we are habitual creatures, it is possible to continue the momentum of progress and resolutions through the first week of January and beyond. Once you accept that it is possible to utilize change as a foundation of your daily routine, the routine itself becomes change and the progress begins to manifest with great speed and attention to detail as to what it is you’re working towards. Beyond making change a part of your routine, you’ve been denied a secret which holds great weight in the way of reforming your personal life. Despite 99.9% of individuals creating resolutions for themselves during the New Year, the people who are making the greatest strides recognize that you are allowed to make a resolution for yourself when ever you desire; whether January or June, your opportunity to make a vow to yourself is never soiled by a calendar or by man-made holiday deadlines.
An individual who is present and self-aware will be able to recognize within a short period of time when they need to make a change in routine to keep their progress in check. When we are self-aware and present we have the ability to recognize the detrimental aspect of daily routine which are holding us back from making further progress or change. An examination of all daily activity and time spent is most usually necessary in order to compile an idea of the direction you need to take. Usually, these examinations are done over the holidays and are then reflected in the form of a failed New Year’s resolution which only serves to leave us in the same spot we attempted to take a step away from. In order to address your biggest goals and resolutions, you must begin to take steps which include making weekly, even daily resolutions.
In a 60 minute interview done some years back actor Will Smith described a wall which he and his brother built for his father, he explained that the wall seemed like a momentous project to complete but upon beginning work on the wall, he recognized that it was simply the product of laying down one single brick at a time. Our resolutions fail not because they are not possible, anything that is a product of your mind is possible based off the sole fact that you exist, the goals and resolutions fail because you cannot see the brick, you only see the wall.
Addressing our resolutions with the intention of getting results can happen only when we are trying to lay the first brick with absolute perfection and with a lack of excuses. Looking at the grand product of a goal or aspiration only serves to begin a depressing journey of disappointment, you begin to look at every small inconvenience as a reason not to complete the grander idea. On the other hand, when we take on the minor task with efficiency and tenacity, the small inconveniences are only mild tensions as you take small steps towards building your wall, the final product of what you seek to become.
The hardest part about change is not doing the same thing as you did yesterday, while the easiest part about change is the awareness that you don’t have to. Rather than demanding you change large parts of you life in an unreasonable timeline, it is imperative to change the smallest aspects of your life and recognize that the awareness of this fact is the first step. The ability to make a resolution for yourself at any time and take the first step involving awareness of your habits will lead you to taking gradually more productive steps to counter your own self-limiting behavior and achieve the goals you are laying out for yourself.
As you begin to become self aware, the habits you recognize as ones which hold you back will be uncomfortable to address, yet can be addressed by simply being aware that this is only your present thought process and you can then give yourself permission to take a single step at a time. As you begin to learn how to lay your single brick instead of demanding a whole wall, you will automatically begin to lay more bricks without thinking about it. After learning how to lay the first brick, the next 1,000 involved in your goal will be laid with an ever continuous ease despite the same, or more, tension involved with your aspiration. The closer you get to completing momentous aspects of your personal development, the more bricks you will be able to lay with ease because you will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, illuminating the accumulation of an incredible amount of work which is unrecognized by others and sacred to you specifically. Only you know where you started and how many bricks you’ve laid as you pave the way towards a major aspiration.
As you grow close to finishing your wall, give yourself permission to be aware enough to recognize other aspects of life where you can begin to lay a brick, and more importantly, do not let people stand around your wall and crowd it in an attempt to share your personal victory. Certainly some will have had a hand in assisting you as you lay your bricks one at a time, they deserve your gratitude but not your credit for the entirety of the wall. The first step begins in awareness though, and in order to do that you must be willing to look the toxic aspects of your habits and routines dead on and call them out, only then can you begin to lay your bricks.
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