Change Academy

Exploring the importance of aligning daily actions with personal values to achieve fulfillment and success. Reflecting on the significance of making authentic choices based on true priorities. Evaluating if actions align with values and making adjustments for happiness and success.

When we are trying to change an unwanted behavior, we often get so focused on trying to find ways to say no to it that we miss the step of understanding why we say yes to it in the first place.While learning how to say no is a valuable skill (and one we’ll look at in a future episode), understanding why we say yes can ultimately be more important and more effective than just getting better at saying no ourselves.Takeaways:There are times when simply getting better at saying no to yourself (or your inner toddler) is the perfect thing to practice.But when saying no becomes unsustainable and you find yourself rebelling more often than you are succeeding, it is time to take a closer look.The reasons we give ourselves for choosing an undesired behavior are often rooted in some cognitive distortions or at least wishful thinking.By identifying why we say yes to something that we should say no to (or vice versa) we can start to dismantle our faulty thinking and develop the skills to stay on track with ease.Lab Experiment:Think about the reasons why you say yes to a certain behavior.Make a list of:What you think this behavior gives you or how it benefits you.The reasons others (friends, media, society) give for why people indulge in (or abstain from) this behavior.How you feel about others who exhibit this behavior.Reflect on how you feel about this behavior now that you understand it from more angles. And keep this list handy for the next time you feel like saying NO isn’t going to cut it. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

If you start your week or your day off full of focus, determination, and vigour but find it waning by the weekend or the evening, you are not alone. In this episode, we teach you a strategy to solve each of these issues by rethinking how you plan for and execute your time.Takeaways:Mentally breaking your day and week into smaller parts can make following through on your plans feel less overwhelming and exhausting.Setting aside time to review your goals as well as your objectives and compelling reasons can help refresh your intentions.Schedule a specific ritual (whether it’s a midweek goal-setting or after-work refresh) strategically for the time when you typically start to lose focus or resolve.Having a written record of your goals/objectives/whys can help provide a reminder when you need one.Lab Experiment:Option 1: On Wednesday night, set aside an hour to prepare yourself mentally and logistically for what you want to accomplish personally in the week to come. Write down your goals, intentions, and objectives. Think of your week as a 2-day sprint, 2 days of rest and recovery, followed by a final 3-day effort.Option 2: At the end of the day (or before you make dinner), set aside 5 minutes to do some yoga, go for a quick walk or just sit and do some breathing or journaling exercises. Review your goals, intentions and objectives. Think about why these are important to you and what it would feel like to stay in alignment with those goals. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Have you ever felt that you were simply too busy to make the changes you’d like to make in your life? In this episode, we challenge some of those stories we have about how busy we are and how much time change requires. We’ll also offer advice on how you can fit the work of change in around other obligations and priorities.    Key Takeaways: Being too busy is often an excuse that we use when there’s some other reason we’re avoiding taking action, like doubt, avoiding the discomfort of the unfamiliar, or fear of failing or making a mistake.A lot of us aren’t nearly as busy as we think we are--and the other side of that optical illusion is thinking that something will take much longer than it actually will.Or, we are making ourselves busy with thing that we don’t really value.By being more intentional about how we use our time, we can make room for the things that are most meaningful, including making the changes that we want to make. Lab Experiment:  In her book Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life, Ashley Whillans recommends cultivating time affluence by evaluating areas of improvement.Think about a typical day you had.What are moments that brought you joy and what were moments that brought you stress?Of all those activities that aren't bringing meaning or pleasure, and that are unproductive and stressful, choose one very specific activity to do less of going forward.Once you have identified a habit that doesn't serve you well, write down a strategy for avoiding the activity, and put the written reminder in a visible spot. This is where you can reclaim some time and use it for change.  Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

It's an Extracurricular episode! We'll be back to our regular episodes soon but for now...Join Monica Reinagel (and Brock Armstrong) for the 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade on Jan 3, 2021. More info at https://nutritionovereasy.com/30-day-nutrition-upgrade/ Spoiler: if you listen to this very short episode you will get a special discount code! Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

When designing your life, you can choose to lean into your superpowers and do more of the things that you're really good at or you can choose to address your weak spots and focus on building up those things that you're not naturally good at. You'll hear people arguing both sides of this coin. Let's explore what makes the most sense and how this fits into our work in creating our ideal selves.Key Takeaways:Conquering the things we struggle with can be very rewarding but not everything is worth the time and effort.Sometimes it makes sense to outsource things that we don’t get value or fulfillment from doing ourselves.Give yourself permission to not excel at everything! There’s nothing wrong with you just because other people can do certain things better than you.Focusing on our strengths can allow us to achieve more (in a limited arena) than we can if we’re trying to be good at everything.Lab Experiment:Step 1: Identify an area of weakness...where you feel like you lack skill, talent, or affinityStep 2: Consider how/whether strengthening this weakness could move you closer to your goals or your ideal self. What’s the minimum level of competence/comfort/mastery you would need to achieve and what would it take to achieve that?Step 3: Consider the costs of addressing the weakness (opportunity costs of time not spent in strengths?) What (if anything) could you put into place to compensate for your lack of ability in this area.Step 4: Make a conscious decision whether to address this weakness or allow it. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Sometimes, our desire to change is rooted in the belief that we are not good enough--and that we need to fix whatever’s wrong with us in order to be happy or fulfilled. But rather than being motivating, this can actually be a very limiting belief that makes it more difficult to create positive change. In this episode, we’re going to explore the idea that we are good enough… even if there are things that we want to change. Key takeaways: When we are always striving to become good enough, we live our lives from a place or not being good enough - or being broken, needing to be fixed.When we make peace with the fact that we aren’t perfect, but we are good enough, it liberates us to devote our lives to simply getting better.Making peace with our imperfections does not mean that we stop trying to better ourselves, it just means that we don’t have to delay contentment for that elusive day when we finally reach our goal. Lab Experiment: Take some time to reflect and consider how the limiting belief ‘I’m not good enough’ affects your own life. To help guide your thinking, ask yourself these questions:In what ways and what areas do you recognize this belief in your own life? How does this belief manifest in different areas of your life?How has your life been affected by believing this? What results have you achieved or missed out on?Think about the past events where you learned to believe that you were ‘not good enough’ and consider how you could re-interpret these events now?If you make the decision to choose to accept the fact that who you are as an individual is fundamentally ‘good enough’ then how might you change or modify your expectations of the future? (do you think you might start that business, plan that investment, ask that person out for coffee?) Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

The key to solving any problem is first understanding what the problem truly is. In this episode of the Change Academy podcast we define the three types of problems that crop up and teach you how to identify which one you’ve got. Then once you recognize what type of problem you’re dealing with, your chances of solving it go way up. Takeaways: If you’re not sure what needs to happen in order to solve the problem or create the result you want, you have a what problem.If you know what needs to happen but you don’t know how to make that happen, you have a how problem.If you know what needs to happen and how to make it happen but you find yourself not taking action, you have a why problem.Why problems cannot be solved with what or how solutions.Lab Experiment: Identify a place in your life where you are stuck or not making progress.Step 1: Can you write down in a sentence or two exactly what needs to happen or change in order to achieve the goal or solve this problem? If not, focus your energy on identifying the best approach. If yes, proceed to Step 2.Step 2: Can you write down the concrete actions you need to take next? If not, focus your energy on identifying what your next steps are (which might be researching, planning, or taking some small action.). If yes, proceed to Step 3Step 3: Can you write down 5 detailed and compelling reasons that you want to do this now? If not, spend some time digging for your why (or maybe your why not)? Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Change Academy podcast, Mitch Harb joins us to talk about his “easy wins” approach to creating sustainable behaviour change.Mitch is a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is the co-owner (with Zach Smith) of Hidef Seattle, a fitness studio and physical therapy practice that offers both in-person and virtual training and coaching. Take Aways: Small interventions can also be big wins. And those interventions don't all have to be "one hundreds" they just can't be "zeros."Often, process-oriented successes (like being consistent) can be more effective than goal-oriented successes.Figuring out how an individual goal supports or reflects your larger life priorities can be a powerful motivator.Keeping momentum is easier than starting up again and again.Lab Experiment: Choose one area of your life that you’d like to make a change in (eating habits, sleep, exercise, or any other area).Spend this week collecting some data on your current habits and patterns.  For example, keep track of what time you’re going to bed, getting up, and how rested you feel each day.Notice what happens when you break from your normal patterns. Do you feel better or worse? For example, does running after work or on a trail feel easier or harder than running around the neighbourhood before breakfast?Use the information you’ve gathered in Step 1 and 2 to identify an easy win that you can incorporate into your daily routine.  For example, adding one extra serving of vegetables into your meals every day. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Some habits are just habits. We do them because they take us down the road of least resistance. But some habits give us pleasure, and we often think of those habits as being more like an addiction - something that is going to take willpower and determination to break. But what if we told you that you can break a highly rewarding habit without resorting to a monastic lifestyle? That is what we are going to cover in this episode. Key Takeaways: Breaking any habitual behaviour can be challenging but when that habitual behaviour is highly rewarding, it can be even more difficult.Sometimes things that were once rewarding become less rewarding (or more costly) over time--but they’ve become habitual.Replacing a rewarding (but costly) habit with a different rewarding activity can make it easier to break a habitWe can create a more rewarding life by choosing our habits (and our rewards) more intentionally.Lab Experiment: Make a list of activities that you find rewarding or that give you pleasure. Make it as comprehensive as you can.Review your list and put an X next to anything where the cost (in time, money, energy, or health) is greater than the reward you get--or even just more than you want to pay.Review your list again and put a checkmark next to those things that would make your life better if you did them more often.How can you use this information to create positive change?NB: For more detailed instructions, listen to the audio. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★