This is the last article in a series of four. The first article presented the theory. The second explained how to embrace change rather than simply enduring it. The third article was a detailed example of the author’s application of the theory in her own life. This article includes practical guidelines, the drip, trickle, and flood, for implementation in your own life.—ed.
Break down an element of behavior that will be necessary to make the change into the smallest repeatable part. Then do just that tiny little thing every day. For example, losing weight requires eating less and moving more. So, taking the moving more part of the equation, find some small, minute behavior change that you can do every day. Buying sneakers will get you started but it is generally not something you would do daily as part of the behavior change. However, putting on those sneakers is something you would do daily. So as part of your grand plan to lose weight you decide that the smallest unit you can do daily is to put your sneakers on. That’s all. Just do that every day.
The reason this works is that it isn’t a big enough change from what you are already doing to provoke resistance. “Heck, I’m only putting my sneakers on.” And then once they’re on you may decide to do a little more. But do not do too much, as this will provoke resistance. Just be consistent at putting your sneakers on every day. After a few weeks of that you can up the ante—maybe you’ll take 2 marching steps. Whatever it is, do it every day.
Do the physical drip activity and combine it with a corresponding mental activity. For example, “I enjoy moving my body—it feels good to work out.” Run this through your mind over and over every day. What you want to do is change your old mental ruts to new, more useful ruts (ruts are good as long as they take you where you want to go). Your brain is like modeling clay and you are remodeling it. Read The Mind & The Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force if you want to know more.
Make one big decision that necessitates many, many subsequent actions. For example, hire a personal trainer and give that trainer a key to your house and permission to roust you from your bed. Pay the trainer an amount of money that makes you feel as if you must follow through or you have wasted a serious amount of money. And to really flood, give your next month’s rent/mortgage payment to someone to hold on your behalf. If you make your weight-loss goals, that person pays your rent/mortgage. If you don’t make your goals, the money goes to charity and you have to find additional funds.
By Jule Kucera
