Transformation does not have to be a long, painstaking process. There are many shifts we can make with ease on a consistent basis. These small variations can add up to major changes in our thoughts, behaviors, and ultimate results. The important thing is to consciously make them a part of our everyday lives until they become automatic and effortless. Try these suggestions, and you'll be transforming before you know it!



1. USE TRAVEL TIME FOR PERSONAL GROWTH. Consistently absorb the thinking patterns of successful, happy people by listening to them while in your car. You can download motivational books and podcasts from ITunes and play them on your MP3 player or burn them to a CD. This doesn't take up any extra time from your busy day and the long-term payoff is definitely worth it! Try audiobooks from Anthony Robbins, Cheryl Richardson, Marianne Williamson, Martha Beck, and Geneen Roth for starters.

2. STRETCH YOURSELF. Make it a practice to do something a little bit outside of your comfort zone each day. It doesn't have to be anything exceptionally risky. It just has to challenge you on a personal level. By gradually stretching, you begin to develop a rock steady belief in yourself and your ability to handle a variety of situations.

3. TRY ON SOME NEW BEHAVIORS! You are an expert at doing what you continually do. If what you are doing works for you, by all means, keep doing it. In the areas of your life that you want to transform, however, try on a variety of new behaviors. With the inquisitiveness of an investigative reporter, observe the results you get. Which behaviors do you want to maintain? Which do you want to eliminate? The choice is yours. Ask yourself what your life will be like in five years if you continue doing the same things you have been doing? What will be different if you make significant changes in your behavior patterns?

4. PRACTICE SETTING YOUR EGO ASIDE FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME. When you can accept your own humanity with all its blessings and flaws, you no longer have to be perfect at everything you do. You can learn to value feedback from others as an opportunity to gain some information regarding the ways they might be experiencing you in any given moment. You can even begin to acknowledge the morsel of truth behind various criticisms without getting defensive.

Copyright 2008 by Holly Cox, L.C.P.C., C.D.C.