My clients are heroes. The reason I ever get the privilege to know them in the first place is because of their desire to answer a call for change in some important area of their lives. In Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey this is known as the call to adventure. For my clients, this can come in the format of wanting to break ineffective habits or learning new skills that will better support the path they seek.
Photo Credit Kenda Headley*
Most of us have had the experience of wanting to activate seemingly reasonable changes in our lives and struggling to find an effective way to make change happen. Campbell refers to this as the road of trials. I recently had the opportunity to hear sports psychology consultant Todd Herman speak about the biology of change. For any of you who may be finding yourself on your own hero’s journey, I wanted to pass on some of the super power tips Todd shared. Most of my clients are just seeking new coping strategies but I am thinking that developing a few super powers might come in handy.
- Have a clear and specific vision. Something tangible, not grand. Write it down. This simple act begins the shift from a desired change to an actual goal.
- Build with small wins. The concept of identifying micro improvements for activating change is proven to be highly effective. So often we become overwhelmed at what we see as an enormous task ahead of us. We are more likely to believe a micro change is achievable and thus more likely to take action which triggers the change process in our brains.
- Create trigger goals. A trigger always precedes our routine. Identifying triggers or cues that can actually change an unwanted behavior pattern or promote a desired new behavior pattern is a powerful mechanism. I use the trigger of getting in bed each night with my calendar to review and plan for the next day. In this video link for the Power of Habit, watch how Charles Duhigg demonstrates using triggers to change his undesired afternoon cookie habit.
- Set improvement goals with a date and track your progress. Measuring growth results in improved outcomes. Measuring and recording growth results in exponentially improved outcomes.
- Gather a tribe. Depending on what your goal is find the right people who can support you on your path. Even one other person, who knows and can support you on your journey makes a difference.
- Activate the positive power of negative preparation. Plan for the challenges in your path. Visualize and script scenarios in advance that you can draw from when facing a potentially challenging situation that could interfere with your momentum.
As a therapist and life coach I often get to witness the shifts people make that result in greater success and mastery of their lives. Each time we conquer even the smallest life challenges and create for ourselves results in our lives that we feel good about we become stronger and more efficient at managing our lives and are better equipped to face the next call to change.
What challenges are you facing now?
What is one superpower you can draw from today to strengthen your journey?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Contact me here.
*If you need your own superhero cape, check out Kendra’s blog.
