Behaving Differently

The Winner's Circle Network -30/7/12 - Behaving Differently

Why is it so hard for some people to change? Let's talk about what happens when we try to behave differently.

Did you know that whenever you act differently than you really believe yourself to be, you produce stress? It doesn't matter whether the new behavior is worse or better than the old. If it's significantly different, it will generate stress. So how in the world do people change? Well, one way is to just grit your teeth and go ahead and throw yourself into the situation, act differently, and hang on until the new behavior is repeated often enough to feel comfortable.

But there is a better way, a less stressful way, a way that takes much of the pain and anxiety out of change. You change the mental picture you have of yourself first. You literally rehearse the future in your head, and you see yourself acting in the new way. You take yourself through it safely and comfortably in your mind, over and over again. Soon it doesn't feel like new behavior at all. It feels like something you routinely do.

So when it comes time for you to actually change, it's not such a big deal. It is "like you" to be that way. Any stress you experience will feel more like the excitement of an adventure than the anxiety of change. By the way, the process of repeatedly seeing yourself behave in a certain way is called visualization, and it works for countless individuals. Watch the athletes during the Olympics - a lot of them are visualizing their performance in the next race, the next event. It can work for you, too, and you don't need to be an Olympic athlete. Why not give it a try?

The Pacific Institute

www.pacificinstitute.co.uk

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