“If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.”
It’s fascinating speaking with colleagues from different professions about their work supporting people to make life-changes. This blog is based on a video, Moving Through Blockages with myself and Stefania Nalmpanti, nutrition coach; https://www.nalmpanti.nl/.
We started our conversation with this great quote above. Most of us get it intellectually, yet to make and then sustain breakthroughs, one of the biggest barriers is time: making time to prioritise things differently, time to plan new habits, time to reflect, time to keep on keeping on - even against a headwind.
“A degree of discomfort is inevitable when we move through blockages”
We like things to be easy, right? But the discomfort we sometimes experience in moving through blockages is a sign we’re flexing new muscles needed. But how can we deal with the resistance and inertia that comes with building new habits? Here are the top tips:
1. Start with simple changes: that can be easily achieved and begin the positive cycle of turning the ‘flywheel’. Simple changes made kick-start our motivation.
2. Make the changes in stages: if you're hiking up a mountain, don’t climb vertically! Tack up the mountain, plan for breaks. Look about you, cherish how far you’ve come.
3. Push where it’s easy: Stefania loves chocolate! Rather than abandoning it, she uses it differently, mixing it with yogurt, fruits and seeds. Are there some positive habits already in your backpack, that make other ones easier to grow?
“We’re all athletes of our lives”
I was struck by Stefania’s statement. The etymology of ‘athlete’ comes from the Greek, meaning to compete for a prize. What’s the prize you’re seeking, as the athlete of your life? How can you integrate your goals into daily living and sustain the changes? It's a life-long integration which is in a way like the difference between a sprint and a marathon. If for example your motivation to make breakthroughs comes from wanting to please others, you might sustain a brief sprint. Conversely, if the motivation of your life’s journey is intrinsic, you’re much more likely to sustain it for the long run.
We concluded with a wonderful question Stefania asks herself in her daily life. You know when you’re tired, it’s the end of a day, can you really be bothered to cook a nourishing meal!
“What will be the action I take today, that tomorrow will make me proud of myself?”
We wish you all well – athletes of this epic journey, breaking through barriers…
Marcos & Stefania
