You won’t make a lasting change if you’re ambivalent about it. In week 1, you will explore your ambivalence to change–why you want it, but also why you dread it. Change isn’t hard. Ambivalence to change is hard. We’ll help you deal with that.
You can’t change what you’re doing without changing who you’re being. In week 2, you’ll explore your current identity and who you need to become to make this change your new normal.
If change isn’t compelling, you won’t stick it out when the going gets tough. Research shows that the action phase of change takes 6 months of intentional effort. In week 3, you will create a compelling and powerful “Why” for each week when you begin taking action on your New Year’s Evolution plan.
If you’re serious about change, you’ve got to have a serious plan or you’ll be derailed by the smallest problem. In week 4, you will create a contingency plan for the obstacles that will inevitably come your way.
Your wishy-washy messaging leaves room for the doubters and naysayers (including the one in your own mind). So, stop being squirrely and weird about your New Year goal. In week 4, you’ll become the marketing genius behind your inspiring change and craft empowering messaging.
Big change requires big support. In week 6, you’ll identify and enlist the help of the three or four people on your ride or die support team.
To evolve yourself, you have to evolve your thinking. In week 7, you’ll learn how to manage your mind and coach yourself through any resistance using my cognitive coaching tool, the STEAR Map.
Change brings up all the big feelings. In week 8, you’ll master a number of different approaches to managing your emotions so those big feelings don’t lead to big setbacks.
Change isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. And it’s a lot more motivating when you focus on how far you’ve come rather than how far you have to go. In week 9, you will deliberately create mini milestones to keep your dopamine craving brain happy along the way.
Now comes the fun part…retail transformation. Just kidding. But seriously, do you have all your ducks in a row? Do you have the workout clothes, the running shoes, the workout class picked out, the child-care sorted, the calendar cleared, etc? In week 10, you will clear the decks and stock the pantry, so you’re ready to hit the ground running on your start date.
You wouldn’t renovate your kitchen without blueprint drawings and a robust construction plan, so why on earth would you renovate your life without the same rigor. In week 11, you’ll put all the pieces together and finalize your New Year Evolution plan. The prep work is done and now you’re ready to start taking action.
Sasha Heinz, Ph.D., MAPP, a developmental psychologist and coach, is an expert in positive psychology, adult development, and transformational change. She is the host of The Change Lab Podcast where she explores the burgeoning field of adult development and why personal development isn’t a luxury, but a critical task of healthy humaning. In her private psychodevelopment practice, she works with a limited number of committed individual clients and groups…
Heinz received her BA from Harvard University, her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Columbia University, and her Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she has also served as a faculty member.
Dr. Heinz and her work have appeared in a variety of media outlets including Psychology Today, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, Goop, Inc., Town and Country, InStyle Magazine, Thrive Global, and Women’s Health.