Want to get different results ? You need to know this key difference....

Sometime back, I was coaching a client on developing new habits

She is a senior executive in the technology industry, having a very busy life

One of things she wanted to do was to start a physical workout routine

Something she used to enjoy during her early career

But as she climbed up the corporate ladder, things got really hectic

Travelling, back-to-back meetings, quarterly targets…..

“I just don’t have time” she said

“Understood, but do you really want to resume some of those physical activities” I asked her

“Ofcourse, I do ! I used to have a very active lifestyle” she continued with a sense of exasperation 

“There’s no denying that you have a very busy life. You may or may not be able to get back to that level of active lifestyle” I stated

“Let’s start with something small and easy. Tell me something - what can you start off easily?” I probed

“I can probably start walking within my community” came her instant response

“That’s great ! And how much time can you devote to this activity ? Think of the minimum time you can give – 5 min, 10 min per day” I asked her further

“I can easily spend 10 min per day to start with” she responded

“Awesome – and when can you start ?” I pushed her further

“I can start from today itself !” she replied with a sense of excitement

You see….

While a hectic corporate life was her reality, what was really stopping her from taking any action was this thought that she needed a lot of time to engage in physical activities

And obviously, she was not in any position to free up that much time

Hence, she was stuck in this inaction mode

This is where I feel most people confuse or get it wrong

Small action vs massive action

When you want to change, when you want to start a new habit....

One of things which stops you is this thought that the change is big and cannot be managed

You are afraid and hesitant that you need to take massive action

Which itself creates inertia and a sense of fear and even, helplessness

The truth is that not every change requires massive action

In most cases, you can start small

You can start really small and then build on from there

Let’s take an example :

Say you used to read a lot of books

But now your life has becoming very busy

You want to read, but you simply don’t have time

The problem in this case is that you are hoping to have enough time to read the book ( like you used to have before )

But the truth is that life has changed – it has become more complex and busier

So you may not be able to give that much time now

But does that mean you cannot give any time at all ?

Absolutely not !!

You can give some time – 5 min, 10 min….

Maybe read just 1 page per day to begin with....

That can be easily managed, right ?

And once that becomes a habit, you can gradually increase that time -1 page per day to 2 pages per day and so on....

But you think the other way around

You think you need to massive action

You think you need to carve out hours and hours from your busy schedule

And that prevents you from taking any action at all

But the truth is that in this case, you don’t need massive action

You don’t need to carve out hours and hours of your time

You need to take small action - something you can easily manage

5 min per day, 1 page per day…..

That’s it !

Let’s take another example :

Say you never had a healthy lifestyle – unhealthy food, no physical exercise, less sleep

For years and years together….

That now leads to a medical condition

And now, you have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle

You need to be on restricted diet

Exercise daily

Regular medication and check-ups etc

In this example, you need to make a massive change

Small action may not suffice

You see….

Small action vs massive action

For some type of change, you can start really small

For other type of changes, you may need a much bigger push

Having this clarity can help you move out of inaction mode and actually start taking action

Also, this clarity will help you understand why you are not getting results in some cases, even though you are taking action

It is because you might be taking action, but it may not be sufficient

A bigger change maybe needed

So here's your weekly reflection :

1) Think of one area from your personal or professional life where you want a change

2) What is the smallest action you can take from today ( not tomorrow, not day after, but today ) ?

3) Similarly, think of one area from your personal or professional life where despite taking action, you are not getting the results you want

4) What action are you taking ? Is that really sufficient ?

5) If not, what is the real change you need to make to get the results you want ?

Do share your thoughts and feedback

Till then

Stay safe and stay healthy

Harsh

P.S. - If you want to move from inaction to action or dramatically change the results you want in life, you can book a short exploratory call here (Book Your Call)