Behavior Change (Part IV) – Creating a Starting Point

We’ll get straight to the business for today, which is continuing where we left off last time with regards to establishing the “healthy mindset”. You can get caught up on that HERE.

So we outlined 3 components that make up the proper establishment of a healthy mindset, and, without a doubt, creating a firm, solid starting point is the most important step to take. Without it, we have no foundation upon which we can build up our pyramid of health.
With that being said, since this step is so important for long lasting, permanent change, there are so many individuals that never actually take it, which in the end is the main reason so many “set goals” end up in failure. It’s hard to take this step because it requires an honest look at oneself, and asking the hard questions: WHY am I not happy with how things are? WHERE do I want to be? Am I really READY to begin taking ACTION and exerting actual EFFORT to get to where I want to be? Without asking these questions, haphazardly going to the gym to just “do some cardio”, trying the latest new diet trend… these actions may yield results in the short term. But, in the end, let’s be honest here; you’re only screwing yourself.

I’m being honest, as this is the time to get serious, and one of the best ways to figure out if you’re actually even READY for change is to make a Decisional Balance (DB) chart. Those who are familiar with behavioral economics and motivational interviewing are probably already familiar with this. Here is how it looks:
How to have a healthy mindset

Boom. So let’s use the activity of drinking as an example of the behavior we’re trying to change. Here is what it may look like:

Decisional balance example1

Now, obviously not everything in the above chart will apply to you, but you get my point. What we’re trying to do is LIST things that fall into each category. At this point, we have our thoughts and feelings down on paper with respect to the pros and cons of either changing our behavior, or not changing our behavior.

For my next blog post, we’ll take it a step further and create value and meaning behind these thoughts and feelings.

Make it a good one!

MG

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