Change Academy

In the last episode, we talked about deciding which thoughts deserve our energy. But once we've decided that a situation deserves our attention, we need to decide how we want to engage with it. The words we use to describe (even to ourselves) what’s going on in our lives or our heads can make a big difference. Takeaways: The language that we use when we think or talk about a situation can affect how we engage with itWe may want to approach different situations with different language or attitude.Just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it's right for you. Make sure you are choosing an approach that suits you.Trying on different approaches to the same thought or situation can help you find one that works best. So don’t give up after just one try. Lab Experiment: Choose a situation or thought that you’ve decided deserves your attention and write a few sentences about it. Then, see if you can pick up a tone by asking yourself:What verbs are you choosing?What metaphors are you using?How do these make you feel?Can you think of other language or metaphors that create a different feeling? Does that feel better or worse?Decide what way of engaging serves you best and start to use that language in relation to this situation. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Not all of our thoughts deserve our attention or energy. Some can safely be dismissed without further examination. But we often allow unworthy or unhelpful thoughts to take up a lot of real estate in our brains--and this can negatively impact how we feel, what we do, and ultimately what we accomplish. In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important to choose which thoughts you give your energy to. Takeaways With all the thousands of thoughts going through our head, we are bound to have some that stick in our craw and that is OK. Thoughts on their own are harmless. It is what we choose to do with them that creates negative feelings and emotions. When we feel strong emotions like regret or shame over our thoughts we give those thoughts more energy and power over us. Managing our thoughts takes time (like most meaningful change) but taking that time can free our mental energy to make progress on our goals instead of just thinking about them. Lab Experiment Next time you notice that a thought is causing you stress or discomfort, write that thought down.Step 1: Ask yourself: Is this thought verifiably true? (If you said it in public, would everyone agree that it is true?Step 2: Ask yourself: Do I have anything to gain from continuing to entertain this thought? Is continuing to think about this going to make me feel better or help me make a better decision? Step 3: If you decide that a thought does not deserve your energy, make a conscious decision to put it down. Use whatever imagery works best for you: pick up the remote control and change the channel, pluck it out of your mental garden and throw it in the compost, pick up the cosmic scissors and cut the string, or make up your own. But whatever image you choose, take a moment to really act it out in your imagination. Step 4: Decide what you want to think about instead and spend some time cultivating that thought. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

We often feel like we have to make a decision, make a change, make a difference, or achieve a goal quickly. But if we want the benefits to be meaningful and lasting, shouldn’t we be willing to take our time? In this episode, we consider the downside of rushing into a decision to change without considering the realities of trying to create change in too much of a hurry. Then, we'll explore some alternatives. Takeaways: Knowing or understanding how to do something isn’t the same as actually doing it and experiencing it. Better to gather less information and apply it than to gather lots of information but never to put anything into action.Sometimes, learning how to slow down and be more deliberate is part of what we need to learn to do in order to get to the result we’re seeking.Before deciding to commit to a new goal or challenge, be sure you understand what it will involve and whether you’re actually willing to do what it will take. Things we acquire or develop through slow steady work have a better chance of becoming long-term habits.Lab Experiment: Think of an area of your life where you feel like you are in a hurry to finish or achieve something. And ask yourself:Is trying to get there more quickly actually serving you or just causing you to cut corners?How could slowing down actually enhance either the process or the result (or both)?What do you need to adjust about either your actions, beliefs, or self-talk to allow yourself to slow down?What parts of the process (rather than the outcome) can you focus on that will bring you pleasure and satisfaction? Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

FREE WORKSHOP: Learn From Two of The Top Health Experts Online, Board-Certified Nutritionist Monica Reinagel and Certified Fitness Coach Brock Armstrong!https://weighless.life/toolkitFREE WORKSHOP: Saturday, Feb. 27th at 4pm ETBuilding Your Transformation Toolkit (The 5 things you need to achieve lasting weight loss)Plus: 6 things you think you need (but don't)SIGN UP at https://weighless.life/toolkit TO JOIN US LIVEYou'll Learn:How to create the right kind of habitsThe secret to getting (and staying) motivatedHow to clear away excuses and obstacles Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Our current actions are creating our future reality. Sometimes, we have to choose between what we want right now and what we want for our future selves. Research shows that the more emotionally connected we feel to our future selves, the more likely we are to make choices that benefit that future self. In this episode, we explore ways to form a more intimate connection with your future self. Takeaways: People who can picture their future selves with great clarity make choices that are more likely to support that vision. One way to picture that future self is to follow what is likely to happen if you continue to practice your most consistent behaviors and imagine what the outcome will be.Alternatively, picture how you'd like your future to look and ask yourself what (if anything) needs to change now in order to make that picture a reality.Don’t fret if every single choice you make is not in alignment with this vision, just make sure that the majority are. Lab Experiment: Step 1: Pick a specific date at least 3 but no more than 10 years in the future.Step 2: Bring the future you that will wake up on that date into focus: Look into the mirror. What do you see? What will your day look like? What’s going on with your health? Your work life? Your home life? Your finances? What will the world look like?Step 3: Now, write your future self a letter.Tell your future self about things you are doing today that you hope they will be benefiting from by the time they read this letter. If you have concerns about the way some of the things you are doing right now might cause pain to your future self, you might want to talk about those as well.What would you like future you to know (remember) about present you? What questions do you have now that future you will know the answer to? How will knowing those answers change you?  Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Having a plan allows us to convert our intentions into action. But having a contingency plan may be just as important. They allow us to recover when things don’t go according to plan. In this episode, we help you create your own customized contingency plan so that when life goes sideways, you can land on your feet instead of getting derailed. Takeaways No matter how well we plan, things will sometimes go sideways. We can either use that as an excuse to abandon our goals or we can pivot to a contingency. Having a contingency plan (and the ingredients to make that plan work) already in place can mitigate the stress rather than add to it. Viewing a misstep as an opportunity to develop a contingency plan allows us to learn and develop more and more resilience. In order for resilience to become a habit, we need to practice it - and that means creating and using your contingency plans again and again.Lab Experiment Identify which of your plans get derailed most frequently. Come up with 3 possible contingency plans that will help you minimize the damage instead of adding to the stress.Gather whatever information, ingredients, or materials you’d need to execute that contingency plan. Keep your contingency plan in written form somewhere where you can easily access it when necessary. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 ★