5 Easy Steps to Reach Your Full Potentia

20 May 2015

Gregory Henderson

by

Do you ever feel like you could be doing more with your life?

But perhaps you continually find yourself stuck because life just feels like it hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would.

Your heart yearns to be somewhere else, do something else, and be someone else.

You should listen because it knows what you must acquire to achieve your full potential in life.

You have a power deep down within you that can intuitively tell you how to overcome the hurdles in life, which you face each and every day.

Something that when triggered will give you the answers to your most pressing questions.

Are you interested in finding such a power if it were to truly exist?

You Have The Power To Reach Your Full Potential Inside You…

Every living thing on this planet has a guidance system, somewhat like the Global Positioning System (GPS) you find in your automobile.

But it’s better defined as an Automatic Success Processor (ASP) which helps in finding solutions to necessary objectives to successful living.

In simpler forms of life like insects, reptiles, and animals, their success goal is twofold:

• Physical survival, which is limited to finding food and shelter, and escaping or subduing enemies and threats.
• Reproduction for the survival of the species.

Humans have the same two survival instincts embedded in our DNA. This is where the fight, flight, or freeze response comes from when we perceive a harmful event, attack, or threat.

However, humans have a brain far more developed and complicated, which gives our guidance system the ability to act on even more areas of our lives than our animal friends.

Producing a meticulous plan for escaping financial debt or creating a blueprint to build self-esteem and confidence are just two amazing examples of tasks your ASP is capable of performing.

Which means we (you) have the ability to create the life you want, and that’s exactly what you’re doing right now.

Believe it or not, the life you live today has been created and reinforced by your ASP.  

But before we go into more detail on your ASP’s capabilities, let’s briefly discuss the reaction to instinct.

Instinct: The Inevitable Driving Force Of Nature

Instinct is by definition an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.

With this definition, that means every creature has an inborn system (instinct) already set in place with the sole purpose being to help achieve success (survival):

• Baby sea turtles hatch on a beach; without hesitation, they head to the ocean for safety.
• Honeybees communicate by dancing in the direction of a food source without instruction.
• Squirrels in the forest know to gather during the fall and store nuts for the winter.
• Birds have no nest building instructions, but instinctively they know how.

Nature is full of such examples, which really have no explanation other than they have internal instincts, a guiding force that helps them in their natural environment.

But the one thing you have over all other creatures is you can reason, make choices, and create realities in your world with your imagination.

Imagination: The Key To Creating Reality In Your Life

Everything on this planet that has been made by man was just a thought in the beginning, and with imagination, that thought became a reality.

Think back to a time when you thought of someone but couldn’t remember their name no matter how hard you tried.

Your brain sent imaginary pictures to your mind of the person; in some cases you even received an image of the situation in which you met them, but you still couldn’t recall the name.

Then several hours later, while you were doing something else, the name popped into your head.

This was your ASP; it continued scanning all information stored in your brain to find your answer, even though you weren’t conscious of the search at the time.

When you learned to drive a car or ride a bicycle, your brain continuously sent signals to your body to readjust until you succeeded.

Imagining yourself riding around, without the drudgery of having to walk everywhere, created such intense positive emotional thoughts of success that yourASP was stimulated to its highest degree.

So when these emotions were processed, your ASP jumped into overdrive, influencing your muscles to perform appropriately to the task at hand.

Even though riding a bicycle isn’t a natural instinct, but rather a created one by yourASP, imagination along with stimulation was the integral factor in sending strong performance signals to the muscles.

The more imaging your ASP received, the more precise your results.

Now, you perform these task without the slightest thought of how.

Mainly due to that intense focus on images of your results your imagination created in the beginning.

Your Brain is The Ultimate Source of Potential

Your ASP is more powerful than anything known to man, using your brain and nervous system that consists of over 100 billion cells, 100,000 miles of blood vessels, firing information at over 270 mph to make 20-million billion calculations per second to create the life you live.

The truth is, your ASP is a super-calculating mechanism within your brain and nervous system, which finds answers to problems concerning finances, relationships, health, and virtually anything else.

Its capabilities are boundless.

But it’s crucial that you accept the amazing ability of your ASP as real for you to reap the full benefits it offers because one area of your brain is capable of sabotaging your outcome.

Your Conscious Mind Keeps You From Reaching Your Full Potential

Your conscious mind has the amazing ability to reason and make choices, which is fundamentally a great benefit.

The problem is, it can’t distinguish information coming in as real or unreal, and that’s terrible for your internal ASP because it is there to help you succeed in life.

In fact, the conscious mind has all but destroyed it.

Your ASP is locked up in your brain as if it were a convict on death row waiting to be executed for crimes against the world.

But this happens because your mind has been overloaded with negative informational input over the years.

Your ASP worked fine as a child, but whether intentionally or not, society programmed you not to use this powerful solution-seeking system.

Google Your Brain for Faster Success Solutions

Need an answer? All you have to do is send your brain in search for it.

It’s a lot like a Google search.

Input the information (think – meditate on it), trigger your brain to start the search mode, and wait for the results.

Let’s take a look at the 5 steps to initiate your Automatic Success Processor.

1. Target.

Pick a goal, write it down on a note, and place it somewhere you’ll see it often.

2. Believe.

Imagine yourself having reached the end-result, and believe it can happen.

3. Calm.

Relaxing is part of the game; ASP will achieve the goal from negative feedback and automatically correct mistakes, so let it take its course.

4. Learn.

Reminding yourself constantly of your target, mentally correct your aim until you hit your target imaginatively

5. Action.

Your ASP goes into operation as you act, and you place demands on it by your actions. Trusting that your ASP will work as you act is the key that unlocks the door to success.

By letting it work on its own schedule, your brain will process billions of bits of information to find the specific answer you seek.

Belief is crucial; your ASP operates at levels below your consciousness. It’s impossible to know what’s going on at these levels.

Remember, it works spontaneously according to your present need. It goes into operation as you act and place demands on it by your actions.

Don’t wait for proof. Act as if it’s already there, and it will come through for you.

Repetition furthers the learning process until negatives are removed from your ASPand skills are cemented in a solid, positive foundation.

Devote just 15 minutes three times a day for 21 days, focusing on these five steps. You’ll be amazed at how your ASP can change your life.

You’re Worthy of the Success You Are Capable of Creating

You are a unique one-of-a-kind individual. No human on the face of this planet has your fingerprints, brainwave patterns, or DNA.

Your Automatic Success Processor already makes 95% of your choices each day without you knowing it.

Take control, and decide to create the life of your dreams, today.

Don´t worry about potential consequences; everything is better than what you have now. You deserve the life you desire.

Awaken the sleeping giant locked up in your soul, and become the champion in life you were meant to be.

It’s time to get Fired Up! About living and loving life to the fullest on your own terms.

You can do this!

http://www.finerminds.com/mind-power/5-easy-steps-to-reach-your-full-potential/

4 Truths About Worry

Worry is such a bain to many people’s existence and it is a sly foe that likes to creep up on you and whisper less than pleasant thoughts into your ears trying to hypnotise you into mediocrity. You can sometimes tell yourself over and over to stop worrying but you just can’t stop and then you start worrying about the fact you are worrying so much and it is not good for your health. Bastard got me again.

Mark Twain summed worry up perfectly when he said this:
“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

More often than not, our worries are just us lying to ourselves and they never come true, yet we die a thousand deaths over them.

When are you going to get to the point of “It Does not Matter” like in the story below?

Daniel Amen teaches a powerful concept called the 18/40/60 Rule which says:

“When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; When you’re 40, you don’t give a darn about what anybody thinks of you; When you’re 60, you realise nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”

Let’s try the last part again…

“When you’re 60, you realise nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”
“It doesn’t matter what people think and say about you.
It’s more important what you think and say to yourself.”

Here are 4 truths about worry and how you can free yourself from it

Truth #1

You are out of your mind.

When you feel that people are having judgemental thoughts about you, chances are, your are imagining it. The sooner we realize how our minds play tricks on us, the sooner we can arrest those nasty thoughts. Suppose you were thinking that your date thinks your profession sucks but right at that moment he or she sincerely says something like, “Hey, I’m really interested in that. Tell me more about it.” How would that make you feel? You realise that you are out of your mind thinking negative thoughts.

“The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.” – Eckhart Tolle

Observe your thoughts and don’t let them overtake you. I don’t want you to wait until you’re 60 years old before you get a hold of those negative thought patterns. Perhaps it’s true that people aren’t thinking nice thoughts about you right now, nevertheless, realise that it’s because they’re not thinking of you at all. So why bother?

Thinking up negative thoughts is bad for your health, both physical and emotional. So just stop. Stop early and deviate from this statistic! When you get a negative thought out of nowhere, tell yourself, “I must be out of my mind to be thinking that.” And then ask: “What else could this mean?”

Truth #2

You are wasting your time.

Okay maybe someone told you your goals are impossible or that your transitional career is not a career. You’ve thought about what they said but you really believe that what you are doing is the right investment for this phase in your life. At least that was before you started worrying. Now, you’re confused and you want to change directions just because of what other people think.

Tell you this, you can’t go around trying to please everyone. I always say that I am indebted to all my coaches and mentors for whatever success I now enjoy. Mentors don’t just teach you principles in business and investment; they serve as mirrors who point out your strengths and warn you of your weaknesses. It’s true that we should listen to wise counsel and always strive for excellence, sometimes though we worry not so much because we doubt our decisions (we’ve consulted experts already), but because we want our choices to please everyone. This is absolutely impossible!

After you have done what you can to make right decisions, to improve yourself, and to take care of your responsibilities, there is no point in worrying some more. If you are worried about something that you cannot change or control, you are wasting your time. Focus on things that you can do rather than what you cannot influence. Take charge over your life by taking charge over useless worry.

Truth #3

You should definitely be “worrying” about what you say to yourself.

Again, in the words of Dr. Daniel Amen, “It doesn’t matter what people think and say about you. It’s more important what you think and say to yourself.”

Your internal dialogue with yourself is one of the true determinants of your overall success in life. What we say to ourselves on a regular basis ultimately becomes part of our identity. If we are always saying this like: “Why do I always sabotage myself?” Then we will tend to find more and more ways to sabotage ourselves because this is what we are asking our mind to find answers for.

Whereas if we are saying things like, “I know I can handle anything which comes my way,” that is a completely different mindset and belief system to integrate which will deliver radically different outcomes.

You must make a commitment to yourself to constantly affirm the greatness already inside of you and also affirm what other characteristics and traits you want to integrate into your being.

Aside from ensuring you only entertain positive self talk to yourself, you should also remind yourself what you are uniquely good at and take much more time to focus on this.

Studies say that more than 80% of what we can do, others can also do or be trained to do. But there is a small percentage that only you and you alone can do as a unique individual, this is your genius. You have a combination of skills that is unique to you like your fingerprint and it is something to treasure, it is truly special. Other people might have negative things to say about how you are not good at this or that, but if anyone ever says that, it is just based on their perception and view of the world and on what you should be good at and excel in. What matters is how you can identify your own genius and go to work on improving it daily.Have you discovered your uniqueness factor? If not yet, I encourage you to find a mentor or coach whose profession and achievements resonate your passions and ideals. Discover what your strengths are with the help of a mentor. Then, that is the other thing you should be thinking and saying to yourself. You should be reminding yourself of your unique abilities and strengths to overpower and replace the lies you have entertained.

Truth #4

Break the cycle of fear; take action- take risks.

I once heard a wise man say:

“The best way to break the cycle of fear and worry is to take action — take risks.”

Fear cripples; belief empowers. What is worry but a kind of fear? It is fear of what people think of us or what might happen. And it’s funny to think that their thoughts can’t really kill us. But they are a burden to think of and we are slowly trying to kill ourselves inside because of it. Are you afraid to speak up? Are you concerned that people will not like your ideas? Are you afraid your business proposal will get rejected? Go against this rage of fear and just take a risk; do what’s uncomfortable.

You’ll never know unless you try. But if you do succeed, you’ll have overcome your greatest fear. And even if you don’t get the deal, you are a winner because you chose to cross the “chicken” line. And that is a victory already, over worry and fear of man.

To pursue that life you truly want to live, throw away setbacks like worrying about what others think of you. You are too busy for that! You are in pursuit of the life you want to live and that means your mind must be filled with vision, purpose, motivation, and ideas on how to influence the world you live in.

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2015/05/4-truths-worry.html

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4 Truths About Worry 

That Person Who Irritates You Could Be Your Greatest Teacher

By Angela Baucom

“The teacher you need is the person you’re living with.” ~Byron Katie 

On the bus home from Disney World, my best friend sputtered, “Angela, you are such a huge control freak!”

First, I went into an angry rage. I accused her, “How dare you call me a control freak! I planned this whole trip.”

Next, I resorted to pouting and pointing my finger at her, listing every possible way she was the control freak.

I was in complete victim mode. Classic, right? Little did I know that this incident would be an important self-growth tool for me.

She returned to her seat and I started to reflect on her comment in silence. I realized that I was indeed a massive control freak. I planned everything. For example, in group projects, I volunteered to do all the work so I would get a good grade instead of trusting my teammates.

I’ve come to realize that constantly trying to control people is very harmful. They stop believing that you trust them and let you do all the work. I am not superman and people are capable of stepping up. 

The same goes with life situations. I’ve had a lot of success living in the life I want, because I’m very assertive and control situations. But honestly, it makes me miserable and I would much rather sit and back and let the universe take care of it.

My mother always told me that what you resist or dislike in someone else can usually be found in yourself. I realized the qualities that I found annoying in other people, especially my father, were his controlling qualities. Then I realized that those qualities were very prominent in myself.

I know now it had to take someone as close as my best friend to wake me up and realize how much I tried to control situations. She’s a friend who knows everything about me and, therefore, I hold her opinion very highly in mind.

I could have been a victim and blamed her for being cruel or picking out my greatest faults. Instead, I sincerely appreciate her for opening my eyes into how much self-work I still needed to do. 

When I look back on my life, I can see how all of my relationships have taught me so many lessons. My ex-boyfriend and I got together like most young couples, looking for someone to fix the other and fill up an empty hole that we could only fill.

Instead, we ended up being extremely codependent and very unhappy. I did not treat myself well during that period of time, and he reflected that perfectly to me by treating me exactly how I treated myself.

Now, I try and love myself to the fullest and am more confident than I’ve been in a long time. I am so thankful that he came into my life and demonstrated to me how I treated myself. He was a mirror and the perfect partner I needed at that time in my life.

I went back even further and examined the difficult relationship I have with my father. We have never been close and since childhood I’ve always been resentful of his, in my opinion, mean-spirited nature and how distant he seemed to me.

Now, I realize that he has been such a gift in my life. If I had never felt that pain, I probably would have never gone to see my life coach and found my inner light and source. I am so thankful that he brought me to her! What a different way to look at it.

I’m not saying you should stay in an unhealthy relationship. There are certainly relationships and friendships that are worth avoiding.

I do believe, though, that people come and go into our lives for certain reasons. And instead of perceiving their existence in our lives as negative, we should learn to see the positive differences they have made.

I can assure you that holding onto resentment for someone in your past or present really only ends up hurting up you in the long run.

So what do you do now? You forgive. You forgive yourself. You forgive the people who you believe caused transgressions against you in your life.

When I realized that I am indeed a control freak; I forgave myself; I didn’t beat myself up. I look forward to letting that quality go in my life, but it served me a great purpose in my past. When I was weaker, it served as a great defense mechanism and made me feel important and in charge.

Now I know that I am not in charge and can move on and eagerly wait for the next the relationships and friendships in my life to continue to teach me how to constantly improve myself.

Couple arguing image via Shutterstock

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-person-who-irritates-you-could-be-your-greatest-teacher/

5 Simple Ways To Stay Motivated

• Motivation

by Laura Morrissey - 

Image Credit | jezeble

Everybody can recognize motivation when somebody truly has it. All the signs are there: passion, work ethic, never truly switching off.  

But how can motivation be developed and retained?

Passion and belief in your work is only the first step. Obstacles can diminish the confidence and motivation of even the most passionate of individuals.

Motivation is a roller coaster ride to say the least. Some factors to improve motivation are external to you.

If you really want to make something work in your business and professional life, it is important that you have a good social network of support, whether his is one special person, a partner or family member, or a group of good friends that can be on hand to offer great advice.

Social support is a significant factor when you want to reach a goal.

Not everybody has the right kind of support network around them to thrive in their ideas. If need be seek additional advice from a life coach or join a group to meet like-minded professionals in order to get mental stimulation of the best kind.

Physical Environment counts too. A bright airy office or room with little distractions can aid focus. Useinnovation and design your ideal workspace, even if it is just an office or even a desk at home.

Once these external factors have been implemented, it is time to look within.

We aren’t talking about intense meditation activities. Just simple ways of thinking that act as motivational kick-starters.

1. Turn negatives into positives

That set back? It’s just an opportunity to do things differently. Any problems that occur, you can use these not only to grow as a person, but also to grow your business idea or take it in a different direction.

If viewed negatively, all your energy will be wasted on negative thoughts. Think optimistically and take it as an opportunity to further your craft or idea so it is even better.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer

2. Be fearless

This means no dwelling on decisions. Jump right in there.

Set a standard decision making process for yourself; if it means you can’t fulfill your talents, it’s a no.

Anything else is an opportunity you should commit to chasing.

3. No more complaining

Let’s be honest. We all love a good rant, vocally or internally. This again is a time waster.

Instead use the fuel from your complaint, to brainstorm a new idea for improvement.

If you are complaining about something you can’t change; drag your thoughts elsewhere, there is always something to improve upon.

Talent management means looking for new opportunities to channel your talent and ideas into.

 

4. Be grateful

A grateful person is usually a happy person. Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t compare your ideas to someone else’s ideas.

Instead be grateful for your talents, your friends and family, your perseverance and that you have beeninspired to even get this far.

This will create more motivation and additionally make you a pleasant person to be around.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

5. Be kind to yourself

Positive motivation comes from rewarding yourself. Take an evening off, do what you enjoyed before or spend quality time with your loved ones.

Reward yourself, even for little things. It’s all indicative of just how far you have come.

Motivation comes from within, but there is not a one size fits all model so you need to broaden your horizons or ideas.

It is relative to your surroundings and goals. Obstacles are bound to happen. These are not reflective of you, nor do they define you. See each obstacle as a new opportunity and jump right in.

Use all of these ideas to manage a change in your talents as well as emotional intelligence development.

http://addicted2success.com/motivation/5-simple-ways-to-stay-motivated/

10 Motivation Tips that Yield Big Results

It can be really hard to stay focused sometimes and stay motivated. It sucks when you want to finish something, but you can’t seem to find the motivation to get it done.

I guess, you can say that is why I created this post: it is going to share with you 10 ways you can stay motivated and push through the hard times.

1. Give Yourself a Reward
Hard work is excellent, but you will run out of energy. That is why I find it crucial to give yourself rewards in order to be successful.

All work and no play makes for a dull day. (ha, that rhymed) Go and give yourself a day off and relax, or maybe go get dinner at that amazing restaurant you have been wanting to go to.

Or just give yourself a day at the spa.  Either way, pick something you can reward yourself with, and then do it.

2. Spend Time with Friends and Family
If you are constantly working and you feel demotivated to do anything, it might be because you haven’t seen your family or friends in awhile.

I know for me and many others that just being around friends and having a good time, can really give you a much needed break and help you have a little fun on top of all of that work.

3. Try Something New
Ever felt like you are doing the same thing, just on a different day? I have. It sucks, because life is about being spontaneous and trying new things out.

Sometimes often more than not we get caught up in the routine of life. That is why I find it vital to try something new in order to revive your motivation.

It could be going on a new hiking trail, going scuba diving, maybe taking a cooking class that you have been wanting to take: moral of the story? Try something new!

4. Get Excited
How cliche. But I think most people don’t realize that maybe you have to try and be excited about a goal in order to get out of your slump. Sometimes it takes a little inspiration to get excited (which you can read at #5) but it’s not impossible and you would be surprised at how much motivation you will have if you are excited about your goals.

I find that when I talk to others about my goals and read more success stories that I tend to be more excited about the goal.

Think about it, if more people know about what you are doing, and you accomplish that goal, then you have more people to share your success with.

5. Find Inspiration
For me, inspiration comes in many forms. For instance, I get inspired by reading other people’s success stories, but I also find inspiration when I read a new book.

Success stories show you that it isn’t impossible to be a success, and books can open the door to imagination and allow you to be creative.

Here are a few things that might just inspire you…

1. A family member (my grandma always inspired me to be a better person and to strive for excellence)
2. Charity or volunteering (I recently went to a food harvesting charity where my group and I were able to package up 10,000 pounds of food to send out to family who are in need, this inspired me to give back to my community and to others who are in need)
3. Teachers (I feel bad for some of my teachers who helped me, but they inspired me to get more out of life)
4. Superman or other super heroes (I know it may sound silly, but sometimes when you look towards others who can do anything it might just inspire you to get off your rump and get things done)

6. Stick with It
I know how it feels to be tired and drained and not want to do something. But I find that my motivation peaks when I push through the hard times because I have proven to myself that I can do it.

Commit to yourself that you will work on accomplishing your goal(s) every day. Speaking of commitment…

7. Commit Publicly
You will have a much more harder time dropping a goal if you commit to it publicly. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to have a giant speaking event to commit to your goal, but it could be as easy as putting it on Facebook, or sharing it with family and friends.

Trust me, none of us like to look bad in front of others. This method will keep you accountable and will hopefully motivate you to stick with your goal because you don’t want to fail in front of others.

8. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Everybody’s motivation will drop, but it’s not a matter of when, rather it’s a matter of allowing yourself to ask for help so that you can refuel your motivation.

It can be as easy as emailing someone who will listen and inspire you (you can even email me if you want!), or joining an online forum, or posting to Facebook asking for guidance.

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, just do it.

9. Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Thoughts
Negativity doesn’t help anyone. However optimism can help. It is important to take note of your daily thoughts and how you think of yourself and your ability to accomplish a goal.

If you are consistently saying that you are dumb or that you aren’t smart enough, then you are only fooling yourself and holding yourself back.

Instead of saying “I’m dumb,” just say “if this dumbie Kevin can do it, then I can too!” It may seem silly at first, but it will work.

10. Write a Thank You Note to Someone
I love writing thank you notes to others because it makes me feel happier, and typically if you are feeling happier then you will have more energy to be motivated.

Listen, sending a thank you note doesn’t have to be a huge letter or long drawn out story. It could be something like this…

“Dear (insert name),

I wanted to say thank you for helping me with (whatever it is they helped you with), it inspired me or helped me become a better person (writer, singer, etc.) and I appreciate you for that.

You are amazing and thank you so, very much.

Sincerely,

(Your name)”

and boom! You now have a thank you note that you can send out to someone who has helped you out.

Trust me, it can do wonders for boosting your motivation.

http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/10-motivation-tips-yield-big-results/

The 4 Psychological Triggers That Catalyze Change

By Matt Jager

“Things do not change; we change.” ~Henry David Thoreau

The world knows no joy like an evangelist with an opening. My eyes lit up as I jumped into my sermon on the incredible power of lifestyle change.

The year previous I had decided it was time to take charge of my health, and I had made some big changes.

I transitioned to a whole food diet, put plants at the center of my plate, started meditating regularly, and began attending yoga classes multiple times a week.

I was absolutely astounded at how the synergy of these three lifestyle changes completely transformed my quality of life.

So when my friends began asking me to what I owed my newfound glow, I couldn’t wait to endow them with the key to lasting health, effortless weight loss, and inner peace.

And so my lecture would begin. “It’s so simple! Just change your diet, start exercising, oh and don’t forget to meditate every day!”

Can you guess how many people I converted? Not a one. My regretful interlocutor would begin to nervously shift their weight, looking for any opportunity to end the conversation.

Finally, the realization made its way through my thick skull that everyone already knew that they should be eating right and exercising.

The last thing they wanted was to listen to someone else preach the values of diet, meditation, and exercise—what they already knew that they should be doing.

So I finally learned that knowledge isn’t enough to trigger a lifestyle change.

Despite knowing full well the value of yoga, meditation, and eating veggies, few people are able to make and sustain such changes, especially with career obligations, social engagements, and the other demands of modern life.

So I was left with a conundrum. What was it that had allowed me to make these changes? What was I missing in helping others to realize the same health benefits and increased quality of life?

I became obsessed with answering these questions, and thus a quest was born. A few months later I packed up my life and moved to Arizona to work for a holistic healing center.

I spent the next four years at the Tree of Life center in Patagonia, Arizona, where individuals are taught yoga, meditation, and a plant-based diet as a healing modality. I supported hundreds of people as they adopted the same lifestyle changes that I underwent, and the results have been powerful.

But what I was most interested in exploring was not the effects of diet, yoga, and meditation, but rather understanding what allows individuals to make and sustain these changes in their lives.

Why were some able to take these holistic health practices back into their busy everyday lives when they left the center? Why were some successful when others continued to struggle?

I devoured every book on the science of behavior change that I could get my hands on, and had the incredible opportunity of applying the principles in a real life setting.

The takeaway? Behavior change itself is a skill, and there are certain psychological triggers that we can employ to kickstart the process. Anyone can learn these triggers and cultivate the ability to make healthy changes that are sustainable and lasting.

Here are the four best ways to catalyze change:

1. Start small and celebrate success.

Healthy habits are the bedrock of lasting and sustainable health. Why? Because once established, they no longer require willpower to maintain.

But what is the best way to create a habit?

Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg has pioneered an extremely effective behavior change method that he calls Tiny Habits.

The premise? Start small and celebrate your successes.

Want to cook more plant-based meals? Start with putting a recipe book out on the counter on Sundays.

Want to start meditating? Start with just three breaths every time you sit down at the computer.

These tiny actions may seem insignificant, but by starting small we remove the biggest barrier to change—simply getting started.

Engineering (and celebrating) early success is key in reinforcing the creation of new habits and also motivates us to make bigger changes in the future.

Tiny habits transform into big habits, which cascade into big life changes.

2. Understand the motivation myth.

The key to changing behavior is motivation, right? We need to be motivated to cook healthy food, to go to the gym, to wake up early and study.

Not exactly.

Motivation naturally waxes and wanes, and psychologists have found that trying to change how motivated you are at any given moment is hard. Really hard.

The better bet is to use times of high motivation strategically.

Everyone has periods of peak productivity, and the best way to leverage these times of high motivation is to do something that helps structure future behavior.

Next time you find yourself having a super productive day, use that motivation to sign up for a weekly yoga class, invite an interested friend over to explore healthy cooking every Sunday, or plan a plant-based potluck.

These are all examples of setting up future events that will help keep you on track. Using your existing motivation to create accountability and social support increases follow through.

3. Get laser focused on one big win.

The archnemesis of healthy change is a pernicious little devil called overwhelm.

Take getting healthy for example: There are thousands of different dietary theories, conflicting health information, and more exercise programs than I can count.

Should you be fasting one day a week? Eating a low-carb or low-fat diet? Doing yoga? Jumpstarting yourself with a cleanse? Doing three hours of cardio weekly? Eating plant-based meals? Weight training?

The options are endless and analysis paralysis can easily set in.

Focusing on one big win is about identifying what is going to give you the greatest result for the least amount of effort.

For weight loss, a great “big win” is to focus on meals that are low in caloric density, i.e. plant-powered dishes which include a wide range of veggies, beans, grains, and greens.

You can eat as much of these nourishing, delicious, hearty foods as you like and make sustainable progress toward your goal weight.

Whatever your goal, find what gives you the biggest bang for your buck and ruthlessly cut back everything else.

Simplicity empowers change.

4. Learn one thing at a time.

In their book Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard, authors Chip and Dan Heath share some surprising truths about change.

For me, the most interesting revelation is as follows: What looks like resistance is actually a lack of clarity.

When taking up healthy habits, there is almost always a learning curve.

We might go the gym, but we don’t really know how to work out.

We want to cook healthier meals, but the recipe is full of exotic ingredients we’ve never heard of before.

And we most often resist making these changes not because we are unmotivated, but because we don’t see a clear path forward. We don’t know the exact steps to take to begin eating better, exercising, or sitting down to meditate.

The best way to reduce the resistance and get started? Break down the task in front of you into baby steps and learn one thing at a time.

If you are interested in cooking healthier meals, first learn how to shop. Add a new-to-you ingredient to your list every time you go to the store.

Once shopping is a breeze, then devote time to learning to cook up a few quick, easy, and delectable healthy recipes.

Breaking down the learning curve into easy, manageable steps is one of the best ways to catalyze change.

The most important takeaway here is the understanding that behavior change is a skill that can be learned and cultivated.

There is no secret source of motivation, willpower, or discipline that some have and others don’t. Apply these psychological triggers and you’ll be well on your way to creating healthy habits that are sustainable and lasting.

- See more at: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-4-psychological-triggers-that-catalyze-change/#sthash.YRpPadXm.dpuf