Change Action 2022! Flipping the Script

We can change the stories we tell about ourselves. We can revise the things we do and pick new endings like those Choose Your Adventure books we read when we were kids.

December 26, 2021

This is the third post in a series of three focusing on making positive changes in 2022. Here is Post One - Preparing for Change and Post Two - Visualizing 2022.

There is nothing we cannot do.

- Tao Porchon-Lynch

At 93, Tao Porchon-Lynch set a Guinness World Record for being the oldest yoga instructor in history.

Tao passed away last year at 101.

She inspires me, I love her, and I mention her today because she embodied the mindset critical to taking positive change action.

We can grow regardless of how old we are, how stuck in our ways we’ve become, or how rigid the image we keep of ourselves in our heads.

Remodeling

Humans are amazing animals.

We live and thrive everywhere from the Arctic Circle to the Equator. We can adapt to almost anything.

And our ability to adapt continues over the course of our lifespan even though we can get stuck.

We build models of who we are in our mind. They are powerful. 

We sculpt them from our earliest days, look for evidence that confirms them, and over time they seem permanent. 

We make statements about ourselves that reflect these models. Stuff like,

“I’m a grazer. I just love to eat all the time.”

“I only need four hours of sleep a night.”

“Alcohol doesn’t affect me the way it does most people.”

“I have a slow metabolism.”

“It’s genetic.”

Yet none of these statements are really set in stone. 

There’s no Self-Image Users’ Manual, so nobody ever tells us that we can change these models. 

That we can remodel. 

We can change the stories we tell about ourselves. We can revise the things we do and pick new endings like those Choose Your Adventure books we read when we were kids.

We can flip the script.

Setting Goals for 2022 and Taking Action

In the Preparation > Visualization > Action Model I outlined last week, we are now ready for the Action.

We are capable of change, all of us. 

Now let’s set a concrete goal or two for 2022.

What is the change we want to make? Keep it short and put it in plain language.

If you read last week’s post, Visualizing 2022, pull that image of the future you up in your mind. This can be powerful as we define goals.

Limit goals to one or a couple things. Write them down on a flashcard and keep it on your nightstand or someplace close you will see often.

Here is my plan for ‘22.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips for success.

KISS - Keep It Simple Smartie.

This is a big one, especially if you are just getting started. Keep your plan brief and straightforward.

My list has two goals only. Plenty.

Gateway Drugs (The Good Kind) - Healthy actions beget more healthy actions. They are all gateway drugs. 

If we set even modest goals, they can lead to more and better changes over time. So we don’t even need to be overly ambitious.

Walking is a gateway drug to other exercises. Drinking less alcohol leads to better sleep. Losing 5 lbs leads to losing 10 pounds.

So, especially if we are just getting started making positive changes, set modest goals. They will compound.

The Right Foot Rule - The Right Foot Rule goes like this - 

Whatever we’re doing, get off to a good start. A good start increases the likelihood of a good outcome. 

If we are eating healthy, make sure the first thing we eat everyday is super clean.

All those people who join gyms in January, buy new Lululemons, and then fade get mocked for it, but I don’t mock them. I love them. They made a good start and took a shot. 

It might take 2 or 3 tries but when we keep taking that shot, eventually it sticks.

Grit - It’s gonna take grit. Anything worth doing does. I got no theory or magic formula. 

Maybe part of your remodeling will be “Man, I have more grit than I used to think.”

We’re As Ready As We’ll Ever Be - There’s no perfect time. There will always be extenuating circumstances. Even January 1 is arbitrary.

We just gotta go for it even when there are 10 reasons why not or bad timing.

Get Back on the Horse - We are going to fall off the horse. We’re going to eat garbage or miss a workout or whatever.

Use the first of every month as a stop loss to get back on the horse.

If you stop eating well around February 17, reset March 1 as if you were just beginning again.

You can even set a calendar event for the first of every month to signal the reset if you need it.

No Last Hurrahs - Last Hurrahs are counterproductive. If you’re planning to quit drinking on Jan 1, don’t go out New Years Eve and get sh*face.

It’s bad mojo.

Finding Our Tribes - I am saving the most important tip for last. This one is crucial.

Find people who have made the change you are making and get with them. This is less difficult in the age of social media because we can do it virtually. 

If you want to lose weight, find people who have lost it and kept it off. If you want to get fit, find people who got fit. If you want to run a marathon, find people who run them.

These people are your teachers. They will inspire you and they tend to be incredibly generous with the information you will need to be successful.

If you are making changes in the areas of nutrition, weight, or fitness and are looking for people to follow on Twitter, hit me up by replying to this email, in the comments below, or via email at [email protected] if you are reading this on the web.

Related Links

I’ll publish a post in January called “Eating To Get Lean.” Promise.