Earlier this year I read a book by Marshall Goldsmith called “Triggers – Creating Behavior That Lasts; Becoming The Person You Want To Be.” According to Goldsmith, a trigger is “any stimulus that reshapes our thoughts and actions. In every waking hour we are being triggered by people, events, and circumstances that have the potential to change us.” (introduction page XV). He then goes on to share how our environment has a profound affect on how successful we are in achieving the behavior changes we desire. For example: Despite committing to eat healthier, the mere glance of someone eating chocolate can trigger our taste-buds to generate a such a strong desire for it that we completely ignore our good intentions.
Have you thought about your behavior triggers and how they affect you and everyone around you — especially during this holiday season when stress tends to run higher than usual for all kinds of reasons?
Here are 6 steps to help you manage your behavior triggers more effectively:
- Decide which behavior change would make the most impact in your life in 2017
- Determine what typical triggers prompt you to keep repeating that behavior, even though it doesn’t serve you well
- Select an accountability partner to support you in this area
- Create a “pause” routine (take a deep breath, walk in a different direction, say a symbolic word, etc.) to implement the moment you realize a trigger is influencing your behavior so you can stop and really think about what you are doing
- After pausing, proactively choose your behavior in that moment rather than letting your triggers choose it for you
- Contact your accountability partner to let him/her know how you did, and celebrate every time you choose well!
If you are serious about managing your triggers better, and are planning on trying out those 6 steps during the holiday season, I’d love to get your feedback on your experience (and even be an accountability partner if you need one).
Please let me know in the comments section below….or if you want to keep it private, contact me at Info @ BeginToShift.com to let me know how I can help.
Wishing you all the best as you take the first step towards impacting your life in an amazing way!
~Kris
PS — If you are REALLY serious about “Having It All” – so your life and work function like your favorite 5-Star Hotel instead of a run-down motel – click here to request my FREE REPORT: https://begintoshift.com.aepiph.dev/HaveItAll