Expertise for Change

Good work this week!  Oh, I was talking to myself, but I'm sure you're doing well too.  You do realize that I can't see you right..?  Wait, what was I talking about?  Oh yes, motivation!

This week, we've done some cognitive restructurin' to 'liminate those few, small mental hurdles that have been impeding our attempts to change.  I'm glad that's done, but now what?  We're all psyched up to change, but we don't know the first thing about how to get where we want to be.  Time to do some book learnin'...

Matthew Mcconaughey educates himself prior to changing his behavior

Often, changing our behavior can seem intimidating because we don't know anything about the topic.  I'll give an example that I can relate to: fitness.  There are a lot of different "strategies" for getting fit: running, weights, classes, machines, dvds. Et cetera.  It can get a bit overwhelming!

However, sometimes, picking among options gets easier after we are more informed.  We read up on the alternatives, one strategy sounds "funish", and we try it for awhile. It's worked for me: I've naturally adopted the fitness strategy that makes the most sense to me without getting hung up on trying to pick "the best".  That is what today's Daily Mind Game is all about: staying open-minded while gaining some expertise.

Expertise for Change


Task: Spend 2 hours gathering information about how you might achieve your goal.

Info: Don't know where to begin?  Just google it!  Search for "[insert goal here] plan" and see what comes up.  Get familiar with all the different strategies for implementing the change in behavior that matters to you.  Read the pros and cons; see if any particular tidbit resonates with you or makes sense to you.  Trust your gut.  The point of this exercise is not to choose an option, but simply to get educated about the different options.  Stay open-minded.  Also, don't get all spazzed-out if nothing you read sounds like a good option.  You're just reading!  Sheesh.

Goal:  Expose yourself to at least 5 different schools-of-thought about how to achieve your goal.

No need to pick a side, though.  Just get educated.  Who knows?  By acquiring a bit of information, your behavior might be subtly influenced without "forcing" yourself to adopt some plan.  Now ain't that some hippie-talk?

Enjoy!

Link: Return to the Week of Motivation - Continue to the next Daily Mind Game