Become the researcher of your own behavior change. Go beyond-
- Surface change: gaining knowledge, having good intentions,
setting goals and developing skills
- Deep change: exploring your feelings, perceptions, motives
and values
Explore deep change to understand more about your emotional
resistance to change. To begin this process of developing personal evidence
about change, pick any unhealthy habit.
Use the decision balance to enhance your awareness about
how your feelings (or the avoidance of them), perceptions, motives and values
shape your behavior. Do the learning exercises (in the guidebooks or the MHH
online course) and apply change concepts on yourself. Do self-assessments to
document your perceptions about behavior change and provide feedback to yourself,
with or without help from others. This process encourages you to explore and
confront your issues about change. It takes courage and emotional work to address
dis-ease generated by this exploratory process.
For most people, changing from unhealthy to healthy habits
takes time, reflection and the revisiting of issues. The quote below emphasizes
the importance of maintaining healthy habits.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.
"
Zig Ziglar
Yes, it takes motivational practice to develop
new automatic behaviors, just like brushing
your teeth
