Twelve steps to Transition

Twelve TIPS to Create Transformations in Life

“Take the first step in faith. You do not have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.”
One of the most influential thinkers of this century uttered these words a long time ago. Martin Luther King Jr.

And yet taking that First step is fraught with anxiety and second thoughts. The moment we think of taking action, our mind immediately goes to work. It presents a million reasons why a particular venture won’t work, why it’s not the right time, why it will hamper existing activities, and so forth. Our minds, thus thoroughly convinced, prefer complacency and inaction. And this cycle repeats itself and is commonly known as Procrastination and affects millions worldwide.

If you are reading this and wondering how to break this cycle of lethargy and indecision, you are in the right place.

There are only two ways for long-term behaviour change: Change your environment, or start with something tiny that’s very easy to repeat and make that become a habit. The tiny habits method requires minimal motivation and is best for procedural type habits we wish to create.

BJ Fogg’s proposed a simple model which is commonly known as B=MAT model: When the trigger, motivation, and ability happen at the same time, the behaviour will occur. Use your existing behaviour as triggers. If you put the new behaviour after an existing behaviour, you can use the existing behaviour as a trigger. Then string the tiny habits together to form a routine.

If you have an habit of smoking every few hours, if you place a new behaviour like every time you want to smoke, you get up and start walking or call up your coach or parents or someone close to you. When you repeat this new behaviour couple of times, it strings together the trigger with the new behaviour to form a routine.

Further whenever the behaviour is rewarded, we will be more inclined to repeat the behaviour.

For example Procrastination can become a habit because when we procrastinate, it’s always for short-term mood repair: We procrastinate to avoid feeling the anxiety or fear which is rewarded with a feeling of relief. And when we reward a behaviour, we’re more likely to repeat it.

Let me give you some TIPS you can take right now that will enable you to transition into greater productivity and will serve as the launchpad that will position you for more excellent opportunities:

TIP Number One– Live by the Regret Minimization framework. Nothing is more painful than looking back with regret and wishing you had the courage to take action.

TIP Number Two– Decide what you “truly” want. What makes you come alive? What seems effortless? What would motivate you to jump out of bed in the every morning?

TIP Number Three- Keep the Bigger Picture in mind. We are not aiming for temporary gains, though they are great. Rather the objective must be, If I see myself ten years from now, would I be happy with the outcome?

TIP Number Four– Take Personal responsibility. I cannot emphasize this enough. Is there anyone coming to save you, and no one will accomplish your dreams for you? If you want it, go for it.

TIP Number Five- Be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable. We have often heard the term, “Live Life Out of your comfort zone. There are moments when you would like nothing better than to quit. It’s at those times you must remind yourself why you started. Keep Going!

TIP Number Six– Establish a disciplined framework or a robust action plan. Now that you have the bigger picture, how do you get there? Break it down into manageable action steps. Nothing audacious. Remember, one step at a time. You might have the best framework and might probably be brimming with positivity. But it will amount to nothing if you lack the discipline to pursue it.

TIP Number Seven– Be Intentional with your time. Eliminate distractions and unnecessary activities that can be delegated. Everyone, like you, has the same 24 hours. Be a master at time management. Your future self will thank you.

TIP Number Eight– Expect rejections. Fail, Fail, and fail again. It’s as important as success. In Michael Jordan’s words- “I must have missed more than 9000 shots in my career and lost almost 300 games. More than 26 times, I have been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.”

TIP Number Nine– Create a Winning Environment. Your environment always has a direct correlation to your overall productivity. Create an ambiance where you would love to work and watch your productivity skyrocket.

TIP Number Ten– Get Enough zzz. Yes, you heard that right! Too many people sacrifice sleep in a bid to accomplish more. Unfortunately, this plan backfires and ends up creating additional problems.

TIP Number Eleven– Stop Believing in Quick fixes. There are no shortcuts to success. People often say, “The view is excellent from the top. “Of Course it is. Sometimes you must go through hell and high water until you reach the top. The Sense of Achievement will far outweigh the efforts invested. I promise.

Have you heard of the adage? Nothing is as risky as staying stagnant. There is a world of truth in that statement. In a constantly evolving world, staying right where you are is akin to playing with fire. It can have severe repercussions.

And that brings me to the last but significant Point!

TIP Number Twelve– It’s not an option. To have a different result, you have to do things differently. Time is flying. Take some time today to implement the strategies listed above. Let today be the beginning of something great!