Making Behavior Change S.I.M.P.L.E. TIP 1 - Start With The Vision!

Its 2020 and people are full of motivation and intention to make some positive changes! During this first week of the year I will be sharing 6 tips to help you make behavior change S.I.M.P.L.E. The first to is to Start With The Vision.

Why do you think it is that Vision Board parties have become so popular within the last 10 years? Is it because everyone loves cleaning up glitter?

I think not. While it is extremely fun for some to create pinterest-perfect boards full of concrete images of what they hope to achieve and inspirational quotes or goals...I don't think this is IT. I have a sneaking suspicion that people are beginning to realize that there is actual POWER in truly defining their goals. Writing them out. Making them concrete. The pictures and glitter and frill is just extra stuff. In the Applied Behavior Analysis world we call this operationally defining behaviors. We define behaviors by clearly stating exactly what they LOOK LIKE. We also focus on creating goals by specifying exactly what accomplishing that goal will LOOK LIKE. Not what we think it will be...not how we feel. A 2015 study by psychologist Gail Matthews showed when people wrote down their goals, they were 33% more successful in achieving them than those who did not. When you write goals you are able to plan, strategize, prioritize, set goals, seek resources, and monitor your progress.

Maybe you're trying to get rid of your dad-bod for the new year...write out exactly what you want that new body to be and post it on your bathroom mirror. You LOOK in your mirror everyday, right? Maybe you're a student and hoping to improve your grade point average...Write out the grade you are aiming for in each course and keep it in your student planner or somewhere you are sure to LOOK each day. Maybe you're thinking about starting a business....TODAY...sit down and write out one goal for each month of this year. They can be simple goals.

January - Get a business name. February - File for a tax ID number....and so on...

LOOK at those goals you've written each day as you work towards them. I dont know about you, but if starting with the vision, operationally defining the things I want to change, or vision-boarding could make it 33% more likely that I'll achieve them, then I'm all in!!!! Start with the vision. Today!