Linda-Ann Stewart - Are You Committed to Change?

A while back, I had a conversation with a sales trainer about change. He worked with businesses to help their sales force improve their skills and attitudes. He said, "People want to change." I disagreed, saying, "They want change in their lives, but they're not willing to do what's necessary to bring it about."

There's a difference between wanting change and making the changes that are necessary for the desired outcome. Most of the people he dealt with were very motivated to upgrade their skills because it would directly lead to more sales and thus better income. But many people, even when it would result in increased income, aren't ready to change what they're doing.

People want their circumstance to change without changing the thinking and/or behavior behind it. As a hypnotherapist and smoking cessation facilitator, I've worked with hundreds of smokers. One of my clients said, "Iwant to become an ex-smoker without giving up my cigarettes." As you know, that's impossible. However, most people feel the same way about whatever life change they're facing. They want a part of their life to improve without having to go through the pain, discomfort or effort to do it.

When you make any change, you have to give up some belief, attitude, idea and/or behavior before you can substitute a new one. If you want to get in shape, you have to get off the couch and start exercising. For success in your own business, you have to come out of your cave and become visible, letting people know about your service or product.

Although multitasking interferes with performance and efficiency, people insist on continuing the practice. Despite studies that prove otherwise, they feel more productive and falsely believe they're getting more done. They're more interested in looking and feeling busy than in actually being more successful.

You always have to sacrifice something if you want an improvement. Many times, if you want to receive something better, you may have to let go of a part of your life that you value. Although you want your relationship to improve, you may have outgrown your partner. Before you can find a better connection, you'll have to walk away from the one you have. Facing a budget shortfall may neccesitate the hard decision of reducing your expenditures or laying off personnel.

It all comes down to your motivation. How badly do you want circumstances to improve in your life? Many times, a person won't change until they're up against a wall. A smoker who has had a suspicious chest x-ray finds the motivation to quit cigarettes immediately. Threatened with bankruptcy, a business chooses to alter its policies and tighten its belt.

If you want a change in your life, there are 3 issues you'll have to address.

Motivation – This is why you want the change. Create, uncover and amplify the reason before you're faced with dire consequences. Make sure the incentive is compelling and emotionally stronger than your natural inclination to inertia, and that it's worth the effort you'll need to make. Keep it in front of you whenever anything comes up that might distract you.

Ambivalence – If you have any contradictory feelings or hesitancy about your vision of change, you'll find it that much harder to achieve. Inconsistency gives your subconscious mind mixed messages and they will default to keeping you in your current situation. You'll have to root out and resolve these issues to move forward. There will be setbacks, but if you've settled your uncertainty, you'll get back on track quickly.

Commitment – You have to dedicate yourself to making the change, no matter what. This gets your subconscious in alignment with your choice, and gets its support and cooperation. By setting an intention to follow through on your plans, you focus on your vision and your subconscious mind knows the direction you want to go.

Whether or not you're successful at achieving the outcome you want depends on your willingness to give up what's hindering it and to do what's necessary to accomplish it. How commited to change are you? As William James said, "To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions."

As a focus coach, hypnotherapist, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, freedom, wellbeing and prosperity. Watch her FREE training video on Set Your Course to Success: 4 steps to strategically achieve your goals with confidence and ease. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

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