How To Break The Rules And Get Your Ass Moving

A Swift Kick In The Ass podcast episode 57. Lifelong childhood friends Tom Stewart and John Curren discuss the rules of personal change. This is the first in a series on how gamification applies to personal change. This first part discusses the rules of personal change and how to break them if necessary.

Found on psychologytoday.com

The 10 Rules of Change- Change isn't easy, but it is possible: an expert offers 10 rules to change. by Stan Goldberg, Ph.D

All Behaviors Are Complex

Strategy: Break down the behavior. Almost all behaviors can be broken down. Separate your desired behavior into smaller, self-contained units.

Change Is scary – It can result in clinging to status quo behaviors.

Strategy: Examine the consequences.  Compare all possible consequences of both your status quo and desired behaviors. If there are more positive results associated with the new behavior, your fears of the unknown are unwarranted.

Strategy: Prepare your observers. New behaviors can frighten the people observing them, so introduce them slowly.

Strategy: Be realistic. Unrealistic goals increase fear. Fear increases the probability of failure.

Change Must Be Positive - research demonstrates, reinforcement-not punishment-is necessary for permanent change.

Strategy: Enjoy the act. Intrinsic reinforcement occurs when the act is reinforcing.

Strategy: Admire the outcome.

Strategy: Reward yourself

Strategy: Take baby steps

Strategy: Simplify the process

Strategy: Prepare for problems

Slower Is Better

Strategy: Establish calm

Strategy: Appreciate the path

Know More, Do Better - Surprise spells disaster for people seeking change. Knowing more about the process allows more control over it.

Strategy: Monitor your behaviors

Strategy: Request feedback

Strategy: Understand the outcome

Change Requires Structure

Strategy: Identify what works

Strategy: Revisit your plan regularly

Strategy: Logically sequence events

Practice Is Necessary

Strategy: Use helpers

Strategy: Practice in many settings. I did this with my diet coke addiction, testing myself while out to eat, at parties, with specific foods that I always wanted with a diet coke.

New Behaviors Must Be Protected. Even when flawlessly performed, new behaviors are fragile and disappear if unprotected.

Strategy: Control your environment

Strategy: Use memory aides. Because a new behavior is neither familiar nor automatic, it's easy to forget. Anything that helps memory is beneficial.

Small Successes Are Big

Strategy: Map your success. Approach each step as a separate mission and you'll eventually arrive at the end goal.