No article on change would be complete without Albert Einstein’s quote: His definition of insanity is, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

How can such a simple statement be so incredibly challenging to implement in our daily lives? Although our world is changing more rapidly than ever, we continue to struggle with change. We tend to do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

If you are working to change something about your life, you must try something different. If we think about it, we have many changes that occur every day and we do them without much thought or anxiety. We change our clothes, our minds, and our passwords; we make change, deal with change and change it up, but, overall we, as humans, tend to resist change. You just can’t teach old dog new tricks. Or can we? Of course we can. Here are some tips to help you make whatever changes you desire in this new year and beyond.

Tips

• Change begins with self awareness. If you are not aware of your habits, you cannot change your behavior.
• Change requires dedication, discipline and determination.
• Remember that you should believe and want the change. If a change is for someone else, it will be more difficult to implement.
• You can change yourself as many times as you want. Nothing is permanent or irreversible.
• Be persistent. It takes repeating an action 21 times for it to become a habit or break an old habit. The first day will be the most difficult, but then it gets easier with each day.
• What other people think is not an issue. You are doing this for you, not them. You may have some days when you backslide, but don’t give up.
• Take time to clear your mind. You may discover new things or new thoughts that may change your way of thinking.
• Changing your appearance is one way to encourage inner change (more professional clothes will encourage you to be more professional), but should never be confused with the real thing.
• Smile. This will automatically put you in a better place and will prompt you to have a positive affect and greater influence with everyone you encounter, resulting in higher levels of energy.
• Start today – change your approach and watch the reaction.