Today’s edition of Rapid Results comprises of:
We are delighted to share our valuable insights with you so you are empowered to create quick wins and strong gains as we gear up for the coming Top Leaders Conference.
Authored by World Leading Coaches and Mentors for Quick Wins
Dr Marshall Goldsmith
Dr Peter Chee
Mr Dion Ooi
CHANGE YOUR HABITS, CHANGE YOUR WORLD
People often ask how they can change their life habits so they can be successful whether at work or in life. After years of research and putting thought into action, we have devise a powerful and proven process using the 7P’s of changing habits.
We want to make this process easy to learn and easier to apply for you. To that end, let us share with you the experience of one of our clients, Arul from Dell, as we guide you along in applying the 7P’s in your life.
Purpose
To begin the transformation process, we must begin with the question “WHY”. This helps in focusing your intention in wanting to change your life. The “WHY” will provide the end-in-mind and developed a well-formed outcome you want for your life and career. Remember, the purpose is the BIG PICTURE, this is your Vision of what dreams you want to realise and bring into reality to achieve your goals.
Let us now look at Arul. He was managing a critical business turn-around project and was spending extremely long hours in the office. As a result, he was stressed, frequently tired and in danger of burning out. His purpose in wanting to have a balanced, healthy lifestyle for sustainable happiness and success was his key driver for change.
Passion
Passion is an intense enthusiasm for doing something. This is the feeling which we get from engaging in activities we enjoy. The net positive from doing things which we are passionate about is we get better at doing the things we enjoy. This is a key component in driving changes of habits accumulated over a lifetime.
Now Arul had no passion for exercise nor for exercising at the gym, even though the gym was just a stone’s throw away. What he was passionate about was watching his favorite mini-series which we discovered after asking several coaching questions.
With that in mind, we suggested Arul to exercise on the running machine while watching his favorite shows at the same time. Doing so allows him to obtain two positives, exercising and catching up on his television programs. The good thing is he was happy to exercise and watch television at the same time. The passion for his shows provided him with the motivation to exercise.
Pleasure
Pleasure is the trigger which results in us wanting to continue what we are doing. The feeling is a sense of reward and accomplishment thereby encouraging us to do more of the same pleasurable activity. Think of this as a stimulus for good behaviors and habits we want to cultivate for success.
Unfortunately for Arul, he derived no pleasure from exercise since he had yet to feel the full range of benefits exercise can bring. Nonetheless, he identified having more energy to play with his two daughters and getting things done faster as pleasurable.
Pain
Pain is a double edged sword, we usually want to avoid painful situations but pain can also push us to excel and realize our full potential when we overcome painful experiences.
In our case with Arul, he was experiencing frequent backaches and neck pain due to sitting for too long, conducting meetings and gadget overuse. This is his physical pain. His mental pain was not being able to care for his daughters if he falls sick which he desperately wants to avoid.
People
It is said that those who want to fly fast have to fly alone; those who want to fly far have to fly in a team. The principle of teamwork is also relevant in the quest to change your habits. You could do well with help from those around you to break bad habits and create good ones for lifelong success.
Who are these people? They are your family, your spouse and children, your coaches, your mentors, your accountability partners and your team members. Stay close to them and they will make your journey to change your habits lighter to bear and easier to fulfill.
For Arul, his teammate was his spouse who enjoyed running and she joined him on his exercise routine. Her joining him on his run ensure he was accountable for what he wanted to achieve in his life.
Process
Changing habits learned throughout life is not easy but having a process to help make such actions more automatic which lightens the effort.
This is where technology can play a vital role in creating good habits. Smart usage of the smartphone and other electronic devices and gadgets can help in setting alarms and keeping track of progress. Those who prefer the old-school method of posit notes or pen and paper are also free to do so. The key is to use the tool you are most comfortable with and one which you use daily. The process itself therefore can even elicit triggers in your quest for changing for the better.
In Arul’s case, he had his assistant set daily reminders on his smartphone and uploaded the shows unto his electronic devices so he could watch them while running on the treadmill.
Persistence
Bear in mind that change does not happen overnight. Persistence is the key in the journey to change your habits for the better. Being persistent means you will become better as time goes on.
Persistence was the key for Arul as he kept up his exercise regime for 60 days thereby creating the desired habit. He can feel his life has changed for the better. He was able to maintain the positive momentum and continued to use the 7P’s success formulae to change his other crucial habits at work. To mark the occasion and to celebrate, he took his wife out for a romantic holiday.
Arul’s case is just one of many of our successes in helping people achieve their dreams in life. We are truly happy for his transformation where our 7Ps has helped him greatly. We strongly believe that you can realize your aspirations in work and life if you continue doing the right things.
SUMMARY
The summary of steps to make it easier for you to get results in journey is as follows:
I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going.
Sylvester Stallone
THE SIX CRUCIAL QUESTIONS
Prepare to change your life for the better by answering the questions below. We recommend you copy the questions to a separate document and save your answers for future reference. Discuss the answers with your partner so you can encourage each other on this transformational process:
Your answers will help you to identify daily deliberate actions you must take to create new and good habits. Track yourself by using the following tool which we have provided. Refer to our examples for ideas and create your own content.
7P’s Habit Change Tool
We hope this edition of Rapid Results has given you fresh impetus to change your life for the better. Visit www.itdworld.com to see how you can live your best life.
