Posted on April 26, 2026
If anyone tells you that creating new, healthier behaviors is quick and easy, ask someone else. In fact, the road to lasting change is seldom short, flat or linear. More often, there are peaks and valleys, twists and turns, and sometimes potholes along the way.
But don’t let that discourage you. Think about how boring it is to travel a long, straight strip of interstate highway without much scenery to make it interesting. Then think of a winding road that goes mostly uphill but sometimes down, turning this way and that with many new sights, eventually reaching the top of a high hill. With lots to learn and discover along the way, It’s much more interesting than the interstate.
That journey is like the road to lasting change. If we’re patient enough to take this route, we’ll find it’s filled with self-discovery, leading to self-knowledge that we can use over and over no matter where we travel next.
Preparation is the key to a successful journey. Here are some tips for how to get ready:
Envision Yourself. Take time to consider how you would like your health to be several years from now, at the top of the hill. Try to imagine how you would look, feel and behave if you were in your own personal version of ideal health. Then identify why this is important to you: What personal values does it serve?
Bring it to the Present. Next, make it more concrete and tangible by identifying an area of your health that is central to your vision and deciding what you would like it to look like three to six months from now, when a new, healthy behavior is becoming a habit.
Shape Your Goal. It should be specific enough to be measurable and timed. For example: “Three to six months from now, I will be engaging in muscle-strengthening exercises for thirty minutes three times each week.” Remember the “Goldilocks Rule:” your goal should be neither too hard nor too easy, but “just right” for you at this time.
Start Small. Your first action step need not be a big one. A first step toward a strength training goal might be to research various kinds of strengthening exercises or to identify and purchase equipment you would like to work with.
Engage in Emotion-Free Mistake-Making. I recently spent time with my very active twenty-month-old granddaughter, who runs instead of walking, which inevitably involves falling. The remarkable thing about her – and young children generally – is that she picks herself up after each fall, unabashed and undeterred, and begins running again.
We adults feel embarrassment and shame for much less than a faceplant. When we fail at anything, we hesitate to try again, retreating to our comfort zone, where we feel safe and secure. We need to be more childlike, learning from our mistakes and trying again and again. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this,” we should say, “I can’t do this yet,” which leaves open the possibility of succeeding with continued effort.
Keep Track. Keeping a progress log of some sort can be helpful, but we need to be conscious of our relationship with our tracking devices, which can be useful and motivating or bullying and discouraging.
Seek Support. Telling a friend or family member about your journey offers support and accountability. As a certified health and wellness coach, I make myself a guide at your side.
Remember Why You Started. There may be times when you feel tired, discouraged even. At such times, call to mind the vision that inspired you. Focus on your progress and all you have learned about yourself along the way. You are becoming that person in your vision, so keep at it and enjoy the trip!