Sudden or Certain?
Change can be hard. And while sudden change has a certain ‘fresh start’ or ‘clean break’ feeling to it, in reality most human learning seems to happen gradually. Certainly some changes can be comfortably made immediately – “I’m never wearing a necktie again.” But when a desired change is complex (quitting smoking, changing diet, etc.) maybe it makes sense to look at how human tend to learn.
I didn’t go to school, download 26 letters of the alphabet, and suddenly write poetry. Unless you had an extremely cruel swim instructor, you didn’t ‘learn’ to swim after being thrown into the deep end of the pool. I remember sitting on the sand, splashing our feet in the water when I took swimming lessons as a child. We took it gradually and we kept moving toward a goal of mastery. Swimming or spelling, it was practicing and progressing toward perfection (or at least proficiency.)
I respect and agree with BJ Fogg, PhD, Director of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University. BJ Fogg says three things bring lasting change:
– an epiphany
– changing the environment
– baby steps
Let’s make plans for lasting change! Connect with support for the journey and make small, meaningful changes toward a goal about which you feel passion. Let us know how we can help!
For more information about BJ Fogg’s work, check out http://www.tinyhabits.com
#Change4Good
#Change4Life http://ow.ly/i/BJIE3
