By: Tricia Stefankiewicz.
In this week’s episode, we will be talking about mindset and how to enjoy the PROCESS of behavior change. We will review ways to find joy and remain patient when you are in the process of making a meaningful life change but haven’t yet achieved your goal outcome. Come listen hear seven ways to live in the moment and cultivate joy where you are right now, not in the future
In my conversation with my therapist this week, I spent some time talking about how to overcome frustration and remain hopeful during making a positive life change. For me, it was about growing my business and being able to do more physical activity then I have been able to do in over 4 years. The process has been SO slow and full of pivots and changes up until this point. Finally, I am seeing some fruit of my hard labor, but it seems like it is all taking a long time. I feel myself wanting to skip this step of working harder to achieve my goal and wanting to desperately get to the outcome. I hadn’t even thought about enjoying the changing process as I am spending my time focusing on the long-term goal instead.
This episode is important as I realize many of you may feel the same way that I do when it comes to achieving your desired goal when it comes to health, wellness, and self-care. You may be struggling with how to find joy in the PROCESS of behavior change when it’s been taking longer to see results than you had expected and you have been sacrificing a lot of time and energy in making the change occur. You are doing all the things that you know that will make you feel better in the long run but are trying to maintain consistency and keep motivated in the moment.
Transformation is hard and will only happen with consistent behavior practiced repeatedly. There’s no magic here and consistency is boring as hell. Focusing on the everyday behavior rather than the goal will help you achieve the desired outcome. Being present during the process will help you reflect and review what worked with the behavior and what needs to be changed to make the outcome better. I have a hard time enjoying the process and totally missing out on lesson.
For me, with my work, I am unable to practice uncomfortable barrier setting and other behaviors and interact with people I wouldn’t normally get to do. that will make me a better business owner in the future, and with my exercise, I am better able to understand my limitations and attempt different modalities of healing that I would have previously experienced. The process is where the magic and true change happens. Life is in the details of day to day tasks. For me, I felt like I needed to be joyless instead of living in the moment and providing joy to others. Instead of wishing about the present, being in the present time will make the process more bearable and will allow me to stay in the moment.
As my therapist says, you are there anyway, why not get some joy in the process and experience of it.
Keep doing the behavior even if you don’t see the goals. Know you are doing what you need to do to make the lasting behavior change. You will get there eventually, and you will be grateful for all that you learned a long the way. Stop delaying the happiness until you achieve the goal. Celebrate the process. This is the big deal.
7 Takeaways of how to live in the moment and cultivate joy where you are right now, not in the future
- Acknowledge where you are today in comparison to 6 months or 1 year ago; identify the small behaviors that you made to get to where you are today. Seeing all the good things that have occurred with this behavior change.
- Connect with others who are on the same journey in varying stages who can relate to how you felt then and how you feel now
- Be of service to someone else by imparting all that you have learned onto someone who needs it. You will benefit from the teaching and they will benefit from the learning
- Practice daily Gratitude for the small changes you have achieved to remind you of the journey you have been on
- Acknowledge what you are learning during this time and that you may feel uncomfortable but these changes will help you move towards the person you want to become. This it totally uncomfortable. Change is Uncomfortable.
- Create a Pinterest or Vision board filled with inspiration and affirmations
- Stop waiting to be happy! You can be happy now!!!
For me, I still have a hard time and am resistant to wanting to be happy in the process of behavior change. But I am realizing that we all are where we are meant to be right now. Take comfort in living in the moment instead of trying to live in the future of what you want to look like. I don’t have this figured out. However, I know I can do a better job than I am doing now. I will continue to share my feelings with you to create community where honesty and imperfection are normalized. Taking tiny imperfect, consistent steps will take you closer to this goal. Remember to start where you’re at. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being 1% better each day. Be kind to yourself friends.