The New Year is a time to create goals, make changes, and
live the life you want. I take every January
to start over. I look at my goals from
the prior year, congratulate myself on what I have accomplished, and then I create
new ones. Many of these goals require me
to create changes within myself and overcome internal resistance. The thing about me is that once I decide on
something, it is done. There is no going
back.
If you have goals for the New Year and you know you will
need to create change in order to accomplish those goals, then I invite you to
consider the following:
We change on many different levels. According to NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)
there are 6 levels of change- the shallowest being your environment and the
deepest being your spirituality/purpose.
Whatever your goal is- whether it is something quite tangible like
quitting smoking or whether it is something that cannot be measured as easily- like
being happier, it is important to understand the levels of change and how you
can work with these levels to create deep, lasting, beneficial change within
yourself.
I invite you right now to create a goal for yourself for
this coming year. Think big! The trick is to create a goal that you can
really commit to, even if it seems far away and you can’t yet see all of the
pieces. Once you have created your goal,
I will take you through the 6 levels of change:
1.
Now that you have created your goal, think about
how you will have to change your environment- both internal and external. What about your life will you have to change
in order to really see yourself accomplishing this goal? This is the most superficial mode of change,
meaning that it does not create long term change. It does, however, sometimes propel us into
immediate change and is an important consideration in the scope of the whole
process.
2.
What behaviors and actions do you need to change
in order to reach this goal? What do you
need to support you in these changes of behavior and action? I recommend writing out a list of behaviors
and actions that need to change and what you need to do to change each of them.
3.
Next, what capabilities and skills do you need
to gain in order to be successful? For
example, if you are looking to overcome an addiction you might need to learn
new coping skills. If you want to find a
more fulfilling career, you might need more job skills. How will you attain these new skills? What are the resources available to you to
gain these new skills?
4.
Values and beliefs are the root of all
motivation. They create our actions and
inactions. What is it that you
value? What is it you believe about
yourself and about the world that brings you strength? What do you believe that holds you back? The easiest way to learn what our values and
beliefs are is to analyze our emotions.
Ask yourself why you are responding emotionally to a situation. If something doesn’t feel right to you, ask
yourself if it aligns with your values and beliefs. Work to create strong values and beliefs that
will support you in your goal and replace the old ones with the new.
5.
Once you understand the values and beliefs that
support you in your goal, think about who you are and what role you play in
your life. As you work on everything above,
your identity will begin to shift. Think
about who you want to be once you accomplish this goal. What will you look like? What will your life be like? How will you feel? Who will be around you? What role will you play in life on all
levels? Envision the person you want to
be. Sometimes vision boards really help
with this aspect of change. To create a
vision board, go through some magazines and print some pictures and words from
the internet to create a large board that represents your new intended
identity. Hang your board by your bed or
in your office. Just having it there
will help you create that transformation.
6.
The deepest change we can make is to have our
change settle into our purpose. If your
goal can resonate with something greater than your ego so that it feels like
you are driven by a higher purpose, then it will become definite and
lasting. What is your higher
purpose? What do you feel driven to do in
this life that is higher than you and your ego?
How does your goal fit into this higher purpose?
I have personally found that if I can work through each of
these steps, that I can indeed reach my goals and create lasting, beneficial
change. I have heard the expression over
and over again that “people can’t change” but I think this is crap. It is my belief that if you want to change
something about yourself and you work on all 6 levels as well as reach out for
the help you need along the way, you can change anything! You can do anything! You can be the person you want to be!
Sincerely,
Melissa McNulty
Nationally Certified Hypnotherapist, Life Coach, Nutrition Coach, Wellness Practitioner
Taos Hypnotherapy
575-921-8234
