I have a question: How do you create lasting change in your life? Not just temporary shifts but changes that truly stick and transform the way you live. As your transformational mindset coach and the creator of the Congruent Living Academy and Method, I’ve rolled up my sleeves to share my top tips for creating change that lasts.
Why Do We Struggle with Change?
I’ve noticed with many new clients that when they say they’ve failed at creating change in their lives, it often comes down to the stories they’re holding onto. These stories are powerful—they convince you that certain things aren’t possible or you’re bound to fail, all based on past experiences. Instead of being curious and open to new possibilities, these limiting stories restrict your ability to take action, be present, and choose something different.
But here’s the good news: this is precisely where we’re at now, and it’s what we will change today.
Letting Go of Old Stories
Let’s assume you’re ready to let go of those old, limiting stories. Now, there’s a common misconception that to change your life, you need to take big, bold actions. But here’s the secret: it’s rarely the big, bold actions that create lasting change. More often than not, it’s the small, consistent actions over time that truly transform your life.
You know the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Tiny actions work the same way—they completely change the trajectory of your life, just like a pilot making a one-degree adjustment to their flight path. That small shift can completely change where the plane lands and the same goes for your life.
The Power of Tiny Actions
So, here’s my question: Are you giving yourself tiny excuses or taking tiny actions?
Tiny excuses sound like, “I’ll get to that later,” “I don’t have time right now,” or “When life isn’t so busy, I’ll do that.” But here’s the truth—life will always be busy. We are creators, constantly in the midst of change. Is your life filled with what you truly want and desire, or is it full of what you’ve been tolerating?
When you keep telling yourself, “I’ll get to that,” you’re building a habit that ensures the idea of what you desire will never actually happen. Those big ideas, actions, and projects start stacking up, and before you know it, you’re overwhelmed. This overwhelming feeling only reinforces the limiting stories you tell yourself, making creating the change you’re asking for even harder.
And all of this becomes evidence you use against yourself, reinforcing the belief that things won’t change. Sound familiar? It did for me, too. But what I’ve learned and taught my clients is how to honor your word to yourself. This shift can change everything.
Honoring Your Word to Yourself
Instead of letting overwhelming tasks stack up and block you from taking action, it’s time for a different approach. This is the one time I encourage my clients to think in small increments. By this, I mean choosing one tiny action—so simple that you trust yourself to complete it in the next 24 hours.
When you start taking tiny actions like this, you start stacking wins. This was a strategy I learned during my certification in professional coaching and counseling. My accountability buddy and I decided we wanted to clean up our offices, so we committed to throwing out just one thing a day. It didn’t matter if it was a piece of paper or a book—what mattered was that we took action.
Each day, we’d text each other, “I threw this out today.” This simple habit built a foundation of honoring our word to ourselves. We started to see evidence that we were following through on our intentions—whether cleaning our offices, landing a new job, or getting out there.
Tiny Actions Lead to Big Wins
Instead of adding to the limiting stories that prevent you from living a life you love, you can learn to feel the joy of honoring your word to yourself by taking tiny actions that work.
This approach works particularly well if you tend to take on too much only to run out of energy and quit because you’re not focused on those tiny incremental actions. Overwhelm can prevent you from even starting. If you’ve ever experienced this, it’s a sign that you need to ask yourself, “What’s my next best doable step?”
Remember, I’m talking about something you can accomplish within the next 24 hours. By doing this, you’ll start to make more consistent progress and build the habit of following through on your dreams.
Your Next Step
So, think of something you want to have in your life. Then, ask yourself, “What’s my next best step here?” Choose one thing you can accomplish in the next 24 hours, and do it.
If you don’t have an accountability buddy to cheer you on, I’m here to help you gain clarity and move forward. I invite you to explore my unlimited laser coaching, which will help you create a life you love.
Visit Susan Lazar Hart Laser .com/Coaching and take that first tiny step today. I’ll see you on the other side.
If that’s not quite a fit, check out TRANSFORM, my new 21-day reset challenge starting September 19th!
