To change, we first need to see a difference between who we are and who we want to be and we need movement. If the gap is too large we can freeze or if the demand on our grit or capacities is too great, we may fail. Neither of these options makes a good launching platform for a path forward.

Dr. B.J. Fogg, of Stanford University says that the key is to begin with very tiny tasks in the direction of the change you want to make.  He suggests starting with 3 tasks that you do for 5 days.  Think small, smaller, smaller still.  You may be successful with two of the tasks and find that you need to reshape one of them to assure success. 

Fogg says the biggest mistake people make is not going small enough.  Also, you want to get the new task into your current routine.

Here's how. 

1. You want to eat a more Ayurvedic diet.  So for 5 days you will:

Open an Ayurveda Cookbook to randomly view one recipe (yes just one and only to view it) in the minute prior to beginning to prepare dinner or prior to calling out/going out for dinner. You do not need to cook a meal yet, just open the recipe book.

2. You want to take early morning walks daily for exercise.  So for 5 days you will:

Keep your tennis shoes by your bed and put them on as soon as you arise from bed (even if you keep your jammies on for hours still).  You do not need to take your early morning walk yet, just automatically put your shoes on for 5 mornings.

3. You want to go to sleep by 10pm (kapha time) to get more restful sleep.  so for 5 days you will:

Go to bed by 9:45pm even if you are awake reading until 11pm--your usual bed time.

You want to get a successful, tiny new habit into the chain of events in your brain.  And you want to connect this new task to an anchor such as opening the cookbook prior to fixing an evening meal, donning the shoes before your feet hit the ground, or connecting going to bed with a specific time even if you are not sleepy.   The point is to find a habit cycle and interrupt it by adding in the new desirable "tiny"action. The existing habit is an anchor for the new action.


Step 2: Celebrate the success...feel it!  Feel completely successful
You might pump your fist and scream a big Yea!  Or you might literally pat yourself on the back.  You may shout out carpe diem or sing a line from a song such as "oh what a beautiful morning...",  You might have some gold star stickers next to your bed and slap one on your forehead once your tennis shoes are on.  The celebration should be instantaneous upon completing the action and should be easy to do.  Some people have an easier time with self-celebration than others.  This is one worth cultivating. 

The emotion of the celebration is a critical piece for setting the new habit in place.  You need to feel the emotion of success which brings more success--the law of attraction. If you were not able to complete one of your new tiny tasks, then reshape it until you have something that you will complete. 

Once you have established the interception point for the new habit and you feel the success of beginning, you may find yourself naturally inclined to fill in the grid.  You are working with yourself to invite and desire change which is far better than forcing change that brings resistance along with it.

So here is what your doing.  Instead of trying to muster motivation and drive, which we often resist and sabatoge, you are creating the conditions for inspiration to fulfill a desire.  Once the shoes are on--we want to walk; once we look at recipes, we desire to prepare one; once we are in bed early, we want to go to sleep. Our mind works to fulfill desires.  So this is the Ayurveda way, to work with the nature of the mind.   What the heck...worth a try?   

Rhonda Egidio, Ph. D. is an Ayurvedic Practitioner with great passion for sharing the wisdom of Ayurveda and the simple yet effective practices that can make important upgrades to our digestion and overall radiant health.  For more info visit: http://RadiantLifeAyurveda.com