{"id":11157,"date":"2012-08-09T22:56:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-10T06:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=11157"},"modified":"2013-09-19T11:12:09","modified_gmt":"2013-09-19T19:12:09","slug":"how-to-turn-your-good-intentions-into-lasting-change-in-4-simple-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-turn-your-good-intentions-into-lasting-change-in-4-simple-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Your Good Intentions into Lasting Change \u2013 in 4 Simple Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever started a diet, only to give up a few days later? Do you keep talking about the book you\u2019re going to write one day, or the business you\u2019re going to run … without ever making any progress?<\/p>\n

We all have plenty of good intentions for our lives, but it can be really tough to follow through on these.<\/strong> As soon as the initial motivation wears off, and the hectic nature of day-to-day life gets in the way, we begin to let things slide. Pretty soon, we give up on our goals altogether.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t need to be that way. If you\u2019ve struggled to turn your good intentions into real, lasting change in your life, here are the five steps you need to follow to get it right this time:<\/p>\n

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Step #1: Stick to One or Two Big Goals<\/h2>\n

Instead of trying to overhaul your whole life, focus on one area. Ideally, you\u2019ll pick just one goal to tackle at a time … but if you\u2019ve got two related goals (like \u201close weight\u201d and \u201cexercise regularly\u201d) then it\u2019s fine to stick with both.<\/p>\n

I know that it can be frustrating to put some of your goals on hold \u2013 but it\u2019s also frustrating to take on too much and end up making no progress.<\/p>\n

If you stick to one goal for a couple of months and find yourself making great progress, you can always add in another goal at that point \u2013 as you\u2019ll have built up good habits and routines that\u2019ll keep you going.<\/p>\n

Do it: Write down the goals that are currently on your mental \u201cto-do\u201d or \u201cshould do\u201d list. Decide which one (or two) you\u2019re going to commit to for the next couple of months.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step #2: Be Clear About What You\u2019re Going to Do<\/h2>\n

Simply having a goal is a bit like choosing a country to visit on vacation: you\u2019re going to find it tough to reach your destination without a travel plan!<\/p>\n

Whatever your goal is, you need to be clear with yourself about what you\u2019re going to do in order to make progress towards it. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, you might decide to:<\/p>\n