Think As Inc

IDENTIFYING BIG CHANGES

October 13, 2009 on 6:57 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

I read an interesting article on change in Fast Company magazine that featured two fascinating assertions:  1) 90% of people would rather die than make big health changes; 2) it is easier to make radical changes rather than small incremental changes.  I don’t have scientific studies of my own to confirm or dispute these hypotheses, but they give much food for thought. 

Are there big changes that you want to make?  Think of your career, your health, your relationships, your finances.  What are the biggest changes you want to make in these areas?  Do you want to go from accounting to acting (or vice versa as a client of mine did)?  Do you want to drop 50 lbs?  Do not think of what would be realistic at this point.  Just think big.  Are there areas where you can’t even think big, even for this exercise?

What is stopping you from making those big changes?  Do you not know where to begin?  If you know but just don’t do it, why not?  What is it that you get by not making the change?  What would you get by making the change?  Is the former more appealing than the latter?  Don’t judge your answers.  Just ask to get better clarity on yourself and your desires.

Brainstorming on all the possible big changes, what are the ones you must do now, the ones you can wait on but definitely want and the ones that you could take or leave?  All goals, but especially big ones, need to be prioritized.  While you can work on more than one and it can even be helpful and complementary, sometimes there just isn’t the time, money or energy to pursue everything.  So, really, what is the biggest, most meaningful change you want to make now?