Blog post for March 2023
Taking baby steps:
When you look at a little baby or toddler you observe how they move slowly and check out their surroundings. They are in the exploration phase and everything is new. They want to touch all the things, eat all the things and do all the things. They get impatient when things don't work out quite the way they want.
We as adults are not really much different. We are always checking out new restaurants, a new movie, buying a new car or going somewhere new for a vacation. We take baby steps that are just a bit bigger.
So WHY when it comes to health and wellness do we want it all now?
Because we get impatient and we don’t get the logic behind “good things will happen with time.”
We are like little babies who get bored with one book or toy. We want all the books, all the toys and the plan to work out NOW.
When making the decision to get healthy or healthier it doesn't happen overnight. It is a learned process of many steps.
In my 6+ years as a coach I am still learning about the processes, the plans, the action steps.
I too struggle with the NOW. I want it NOW, not next week or next month.
So this thought process comes into play with my clients.
I don’t dump a pile of tasks or to-dos on them to start. It is about learning new behaviours and feeling out our physical and mental body.
After having a conversation and making a plan we pick 1 or 2 small habits or maybe 1 larger habit to focus on.
An example would be to help set my client up for good water intake. We could suggest having a water bottle with them whenever they are in the car. Then they will start to develop a habit of having water with them all the time.
I have a client who has difficulty sleeping. She goes to bed late and gets up late. We are working on slowly bringing her bedtime backwards and also turning off the TV at least 15 mins before bed.
These are small changes that influence health and wellness, but can have a powerful long term effect.
If I gave a client multiple new tasks and/or habits to work on, their success would be nil.
Maybe not always, but overall we do not want to get overwhelmed. We will give up quicker than when we start.
So In all life this applies. WE want to search for the easy way to have success in whatever we want to achieve. By starting on a smaller scale we are more apt to succeed and make this part of our daily lifestyle.
If you are looking at starting something new, pick 1 or 2 small things that will help you grow.
You can continue to build on those BABY STEPS.