When I get home things are going to change…
How many times have you said that to yourself while you are on holiday/vacation?
There is something about being away that makes us more aware of what we are happy with in our life, and what we aren’t. A change of scene and a break from our normal routine gives our minds the space to reflect and re-evaluate our lives, it can help us to identify what we want from life, and also highlights things we are dissatisfied with and want to change.
We think, discuss, dream and plan what we are going to change when we get home. The change we want may be related to our work, diet, activity, social life, travel or image and we have this clear vision of how it will be. Then we get home to the same old familiar routine and environment and somehow it all gets forgotten, until the next time we are away.
Nothing changes if nothing changes!
If you really want to change your life, and time away has given you lots of ideas and visualisations of how it will be, take time on the penultimate day to create a plan of how you are actually going to make these changes happen. Using my newest acronym HOME (you knew an acronym was coming) will help you to create a sustainable plan, avoid overwhelm and make those changes happen.
H = Half-hour: set aside half an hour each day to do something positive linked to the change you want to make. This could be to do some research, exercise, declutter, study, meal plan, read, create your daily steps – anything that is directly linked to your dream or goal. Write this time in your schedule or diary BEFORE you get home and consider it an appointment that cannot be broken. If half an hour seems too long or it is hard to fit into your day, then even 10 or 15 minutes will get you started. Pick a good time when you can focus with no distractions, set a timer, and get going.
O = One thing: pick only one thing to change as this means you will be able to give it more attention, plus having only one thing to focus on stops you being overwhelmed or flitting between lots of different ideas and getting nothing done. It is so tempting to want to change several areas of your life at once, but the more you try to change, the less you will actually get done. By concentrating on just one thing, you are more likely to plan and complete daily steps and achieve your goal. And once one is in the bag, the others will seem easy!
M = Mindset: cultivate a positive, “I am doing this” mindset before you get home. During the last few days away, and when you are home, reinforce the change you are going to make that will lead to your dream, goal, or outcome by visualising it for a few moments at the start and end of each day. Then plan and focus on the one step you are going to take that day. Make these daily steps simple and sustainable as completing them creates a sense of achievement which will keep you going – remember that action and achievement creates motivation, not the other way around!
E = Environment: this is the big one! The day (or following day if you get back late) you get home, change something visible or convenient in your environment. This could be the layout of your bedroom or main living area, your office, the cupboards or appliances in your kitchen, pictures or mirrors on the walls, where you store coats and shoes, or even the colour of your bedding or cushions to create a sense of newness and slight unfamiliarity. When we return to a familiar environment, we are more likely to fall back into the same old habits and forget about all the plans and dreams we had on our break. So, whether you have a large home or a tiny one, change something visible or habitual as this will shake up your routine and keep your plans and dreams at the front of your mind.
So, there you have it, my HOME-coming plan for change. Its not complicated but as time away usually triggers a desire to change, do something different or shake up our whole lives, it will help you to actually get moving and reach your dreams and goals.
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