Sustainable Behavioral Change – Let’s Rock Your Brain
2018, October 29th
In order to reach your goals in a sustainable way there is often a behavioral change needed. This applies for the different areas of your life like health, success as well as professional and personal relationships in the same way. During my engagements for corporate coaching managers often ask: “How can the sustainability of coaching measures be ensured?” Good question – who hasn’t already personally experienced that you haven’t continued with the new behavior or that you find yourself “suddenly” in old behavioral patterns. In this article you find 5 success factors, which turn your brain into your best ally. They help you on the one hand to learn a lot faster and on the other hand they help your system to integrate those changes on a deeper level, what enables you to persist with the new behavior even in challenging situations. It is as if your new behavior is now part of your DNA.
The 5 success factors result from the findings of learning psychology, neurophysiology and neuroplasticity. For clarification purposes I use a simplified picture: Imagine the nerve pathways in your brain are wired in a certain way and your usual behaviors are established like highways. If you now learn a new behavior, your nerve cells get rewired in new ways, which you may picture as small foot trails. The 5 success factors spark your brain. They fire and rewire new nerve cells and help to build new data highways out of the initial footpaths as established new behavior. Old undesired behaviors become deserted and get completely replaced after a while. Would you like to integrate behavioral change persistently? Use the 5 success factors and rock your new life!
1. Grit & Motivation – a firework of joy
GRIT1: Which new behavior are YOU looking for? I can’t emphasize it enough, YOU must really want it for yourself (and I’m consciously using the word “must” here, although I’m usually not a big fan of such an imperative). There is no point, if only your manager, your partner, your doctor or the society demands the change from you. Hence: Which new behavior do YOU really want to establish in your life?
MOTIVATION: This is leading me to the next question: WHY would you like to establish a new behavior in your life?2 What is your holy/deeper reason for living that new behavior? What drives you from the depths of your heart and is not just chasing a carrot in the outside world. This could be your child, your mission, your life vision… What is it for you?
JOY: It’s no accident that we are learning e.g. a new sport or playing a new musical instrument much easier, which are filling us with joy on the journey! When we feel joy, neurotransmitters are released in our brains3, which help our nerve cells to wire together more easily and effectively. What makes you enjoy reaching your goal or your new behavior and especially what makes you enjoy the journey? You may reward yourself for smaller achievements on your way e.g. with your favorite dessert or celebrate larger mile stones with your family and friends.
2. Insight – open the field of new possibilities
Adults learn through insight and understanding. Thus your inner YES and your grit get deepened, at the same time new learnings get connected with existing knowledge and new courses of action show up. In most cases pure understanding is not enough to create a sustainable change, what you might have already experienced yourself after reading a good self-help book or attending a weekend workshop. Both could be important starting points or milestones on our journey to change. Therefore acquire as much insights and knowledge about that new behavior and connect it with your existing knowledge. AND at the same time be aware, that this is not all!
3. Visualization – making contact with your future self
Here comes a suggestion, which is used in competitive sports. While visualizing a new behavior4, the same nerve pathways get activated in our brains, as if we would actually practice this certain action. Visualize your goal and your new behavior. Energize it with positive feelings of joy and experience them on as many sensory channels as possible (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling/tasting). It helps your brain to build data highways out of fresh foot trails. Develop a daily routine, e.g. 10 min of visualization every morning before you start your day. The process is supported, if your brain is still in the alpha state.
4. Action & Experience – there is nothing good unless you do it…
The time of actual action and practicing the new behaviors has come: Act as is if you were already your new self. I always advise my coaching clients to get started with small steps, e.g. in a safe private environment and not directly in the next challenging board meeting. It is important to reflect on what went well and what didn’t work. Celebrate your courage and small first successes. And then move step by step to more challenging situations.
5. Repetition & Correction – the supreme discipline on your way to being a change pro
Now we reach one of the most important and challenging topics – the REPETITION5: Keep on going and practice, practice, practice… In times of the instant satisfaction of needs we are not used to that anymore. Compare it with learning a new sport, playing a new musical instrument or even learning to walk as a child. This includes falling down and mistakes. Get up again, adjust your little crown and CORRECT, if something didn’t go well. You can install the corrected version directly in the visualization. As you see, the individual success factors interrelate and reinforce each other!
I’m curious: What is your personal experience on your way to behavioral change? What has helped you?
Watch out for the follow up article, which will include more background information, obstacles and how to overcome them.
Wishing you clear grit, joy and endurance for your successful change,
Annette Freund
FREUND INSPIRED MOVE
Annette Freund is Founder and Managing Director of the consulting company FREUND INSPIRED MOVE in Switzerland. She is inspired by change processes: Strong Individuals! Reforming Teams! Transforming Organizations!
She provides her services in German and English speaking environments.
Inspired by:
1 Angela Duckworth , James Gross - Self-Control and Grit: Related but Separable Determinants of Success
2 Simon Sinek – Know your why
3 Dr. Joe Dispenza – Evolve your brain
4 Sebastian Purps-Pardigol – Führen mit Hirn
5 Dr. Joe Dispenza – Breaking the habit of being yourself
Picture: © chagpg / fotolia.com