Know what you want, and make a plan to get there
By Dr. Matthew Lapp, Columnist, The Times
The Triad of Change is a tool that helps to create a recipe for success in life. Even (especially) during times of challenge, the relationships between Perception (what you focus on), Structure (how you organize your life), Behavior (what you actually do), and Energy (fuel) have the power to helps us thrive.
January is a perfect month to evaluate and renew our commitments to ourselves in order to improve our quality of life in the months to come. So, in order to help you get started, let’s review how each component of the Triad of Change shows up in life and start to take advantage of the wisdom it offers.
Let’s get started with a few questions that will help you to harness the power of Perception:
What do I actually want?
How often do you find yourself focusing on what you don’t want? We’re all guilty of it, and it always has the same effect. It’s saps our energy, brings us down, and stands in the way of our happiness. Instead, imagine that you could have anything you want i.e. health, wealth, happiness, etc and focus on that.
Why do I want it?
When you know why you desire something, it’s easier to tap into the energy required to achieve it. For instance, does this desire provide immediate gratification or does it fulfill a core life desire.
What would happen if I got it?
Imagine that you could be in the best shape of your life or that you carried a feeling of well-being everywhere you went. How would life be different for you? After you’ve figured out what it is that you really desire, and the rationale behind it, visualize how your life would be different. Continue to visualize this new way of living daily until it feels real.
The next area to look at is Structure, or how you organize your life. This may seem a little scary at first, but I assure you, changing your structure is one of the quickest way to change your life!
Have you ever rearranged your living room furniture? How about tried a new haircut to “change things up?” What did you notice?
I remember when my wife cut off nearly 3 inches of her hair two years ago. Even though I really liked it, it was sort of traumatic for her. She pulled, tugged, and prayed for it to grow every day. But, it was a change, one that was necessary at the time. Even though it was only a hair cut, it changed the way she saw herself. It was an important structural change for the time and place she was in her life.
A good way to figure out how best to organize the various areas of your own life is to look to an area of your life where you feel the most in control. For example, some people feel that they have their finances in perfect order. They have a budget and they stick to it. Others might have a plan to exercise every day, eat a healthy diet, and get adequate rest in order to thrive physically.
Although it isn’t necessarily easy, Structure is one of the simplest areas of life to change because we often already know the best ways to organize our lives but we fail to take action and follow through.
Next, let’s look at how our Behavior allows (or prevents) us to take action.
Can you think of a time in your life when you knew exactly what you needed to do, but for some reason, you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it? How about a time when you took action spontaneously and everything fell in to place?
Whether it’s beginning a new job, a new exercise regime, a new relationship, or ending something that no longer works for us, taking action is often the most difficult piece of the puzzle.
Many of us settle into a routine that is comfortable, and even when we know we should do something different, we fail to do it. It might be due to fear of failure, or fear of the unknown, but it’s clear that failure to act holds us back from what’s possible.
The final component for us to evaluate is Energy. Energy falls right in the middle of the Triad for good reason. It’s a feedback measure and let’s you know if you are on the right page or not.
When your Triad is working for you, and Structure, Behavior, and Perception are congruent, the energy you take from life is high. On the other hand, if these pieces are out of alignment, you might feel low energy, pain, or that something is “wrong.”
Think of each are of your life and recognize if your are feeling energy rich or energy poor. Does it seem like some areas of life are working better than others?
Action Step:
Use the information above to evaluate all areas of your life. If something is adding energy to your life, chances are, it’s working for you. If not, look to your Perception, Structure, and Behavior to find out what needs to change.
As always, the power to dramatically improve our well-being and quality of life lies within us. I hope that looking to these areas of your life will help you to continue to thrive in 2015!
Drs. Allison and Matthew Lapp are the owners of Salus Chiropractic Studio in Thorndale. For more tips on living a health, happy life, visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalusChiropracticStudio
