So many of us have good intentions when it comes to tackling behavioral change. We want to change—on some level at least—but are often confused as to how or where to start. And the “when to start” part is also kind of tricky, since that’s where so many of us deploy our well-honed avoidance and procrastination skills. Addictive personalities tend to be extra good at those things, after all.
“Someday” is a popular answer to that question, especially for those who are still in the early stages of contemplating change. Even for those who narrow it down (“I’ll start in the new year” or “I’ll quit after [stressful future event]” or “...okay, NEXT Monday, then...”) it’s all too easy to let attempt after half-hearted attempt slide into perpetual Some Other Time territory. However, it can be just as easy to create the conditions that may trigger the series of events that finally lead to successful behavioral change.
I had a “perfect storm” of circumstances (tired, stressed, physically sick, psychologically ready, tired of setting my hard-earned money on fire, potential quit buddy in close proximity) and when the “flick” happened (after a 24-hour work marathon during which we pretty much smoked our way through a whole carton of smokes, my boss said “we should quit”) BOOM, I was ready.
Even though my quit wasn’t typical (I wasn’t a good candidate for the available NRTs so I went Cold Turkey by default) it was effective. Sure, there were a few emotionally bumpy months where I had to relearn how to Adult without my usual nicotine crutch/prop/binky/best frienemy, and it wasn’t a perfectly smooth path to behavioral change, but I can trace the entire process back to that moment when the Universe tipped over that first domino. Everything that followed was a direct result of the thing that happened before. I just happened to be willing to go with it and trust that although it was a scary and sometimes uncomfortable process, it was also the right thing for me to do.
So go ahead: set up your dominoes. Figure out the “why” and the potential “how”s. Heck, you can even pick a “when” and tip over that first domino yourself. You never know how it will turn out, but the results can surprise you!
Who’s Your Little GUS Buddy?
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