Three Ways To Make Change Permanent

My friend Sean has a comprehensive yet simple way to make change more permanent in his life. When he wants a new idea or behavior to become part of the fabric of his daily activities, he applies the change to his work or life in three ways:

• Tell
• Write
• Memorize

When you tell someone about the desired change, you are clarifying your thoughts around the change and possibly gaining support from someone else (or forcing yourself to make sure the change is valid if they challenge you).

Writing down the change, or how you want to take action on it, connects it more strongly to your mind.

While you don't need to memorize the change, you may want to memorize a quote or information related to the change. For example, when I found myself feeling in a rut and needing to change, I memorized quotes like, "Life is daring adventure or nothing" by Helen Keller.

I'd add another one to his list-visualize. When we focus on the desired outcomes from the change it keeps us motivated to stay the course with the new attitudes or actions.