Change Academy

In this episode, we discuss why our past failures (or successes) don't predict our future successes (or failures). Then, more importantly, we get into how to dismantle that idea so you can clear a path for future change and growth.There is a tension between using our past to our advantage while also not getting stuck in it. And striking that balance is tricky. Cutting ourselves completely free from our past is not the goal - but learning to use our past thoughtfully, can be. Key Takeaways: Our past does not define who we are or predict our future results- unless we fail to learn from our missteps and continue taking the same actions.If we allow our past to stop us from taking action we will never make progress.Accept the idea that we can and do change, whether it is a purposeful change or just a side effect of time, we are not the same person we were in the past.Once we let go of the past, we no longer have to feel the need to fix ourselves - we can simply commit to a journey of self-improvement, where we work on being a better version of ourselves each day.Lab Experiment: An exercise to explore the ways in which your thoughts about your past may be informing or perhaps limiting your futureWrite a paragraph describing yourself and your life as it was five years ago. Jot down where you lived, what you were doing, your relationships. Try to remember what dreams you had or the goals you were working toward, any major successes or failures that preceded that period of your life. And finally, see if you can remember what you believed about yourself then. What did you think was possible or impossible for you? What did you see as your greatest strengths and weaknesses?Now write a paragraph describing yourself and your life as it is now. Your current circumstances, occupation, relationships, dreams, goals. What major successes and failures have you experienced this year. What do you believe about yourself now? What do you think is possible or impossible today? What do you see as your greatest strengths and weaknesses today?And now compare these two versions. How do you feel about what you see? Are you surprised to realize how much has or hasn’t changed? Did you fail or succeed in any new or interesting ways? Are you holding on to dreams, goals, beliefs that are no longer relevant or true?Finally, write a paragraph describing yourself and your life as you’d like it to be in 5 years. What goals would you like to have achieved? What failures might you need to experience in order to reach them? What would you like to believe about yourself five years from now? What would you like your greatest strengths to be? Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

The truth is that every time we give ourselves an excuse to quit, we get better at quitting. But every time we don’t quit, we get better at pushing through. So, both quitting and not quitting can become a habit. And an identity.Reasons we quit :Not seeing benefits.Fatigue and anticipation of future fatiguePerfectionism (all or nothing thinking)Success would move us out of our comfort zone.Lab Experiment: Let's do some reverse engineering. Think back to the last time you quit or gave up on a new hobby, task, job, goal, or whatever.Once you have it in mind take a deep look at two things:Was this a potentially beneficial activity? If you had continued to do this thing, how would your life look in 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years from now? — If the answer is “not that different” then choose a different activity.Why did you give up on it? Were you not seeing benefits, were you bored or tired of it, did you feel like you were running out of willpower, were you not able to execute it the way you had imagined, did your perfectionist side creep out, or were you frightened of what your life might look like if you succeeded?Now, once you have zeroed in on one (or maybe more) of the reasons for why you quit, can you figure out how you might be able to remove some of the roadblocks to make it easier and more likely that you will succeed next time? Resources: Make “no quit” Your New Habit (Brock's Weighless LIfe blog post)The central governor model of exercise regulation (National Library of Medicine paper)Which wolf with you Feed story  Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we look at our beliefs and how deeply they affect both the choices we make in life and how we react to situations.Here is a bit of a spoiler: As we go through life, we may need to periodically reexamine our beliefs to make sure they still serve us. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is an approach we developed to help people in our Weighless program create sustainable weight loss but this process can be applied to any change that you want to make in your life. In this episode, we explain how it works.Key Takeaways:You really need all three of these to make change sustainable. All the awareness in the world doesn't create change until you form a concrete intention. And intentions are nothing without action. And taking action without paying attention tends to fizzle out.When you learn to harness all three of these functions, there's almost nothing you can't do.Lab Experiment:If you are trying to change something or develop a new habit and it just won't stick: think about which part of the cycle you might be neglecting and ee if you can close the loop. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

We have come to the final topic on our list of eight things we believe need to be in place in order for real, sustainable change to happen. In this episode, we are tackling the idea that there is no "finish line" to cross. Change is forever.Key Takeaways:We aren't simply reaching a finish line, we are changing ourselves. Fundamentally but also dynamically.The great thing about that is you don't have to abandon one to start another.This is a great framework to evaluate what you are going to spend your time focussing on - am I willing to do this forever? And if I don't, what will happen if I quit.Lab Experiment:Take a look at your biggest focus right now, whether that is contributing to retirement savings, keeping a relationship afloat, losing weight, getting fit, anything and ask yourself - "is this how I want to live my life - forever?" If the answer is no, you have your answer.But if the answer is yes, then you can ask yourself - "what will happen if I decide to stop this behaviour?" If the answer is, you will lose all your progress and eventually have to start at square one, then you know this isn't a forever behaviour. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

We think that failure shouldn't happen and that if it does, it means that something has gone wrong. But failure is not the opposite of success. It's the path to success.We do not achieve success when we put sufficient distance between ourselves and our failures. We achieve success when we learn to bring our failures close, examine them with clear-eyed compassion, learn what we can from them, and use them as fuel for future growth.Don’t fear failure! When a scientist does an experiment, he or she must be open to any result. Some results are good/positive and some are bad/negative but they are all useful data points.The correct response to failure is to try again. But we don't want to just keep trying the same thing over and over again. We want to try in a slightly different way, informed by the failure. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, we are moving down the list to #6 (of our eight key behaviours) and discussing why practice is important ... and also why it may be more nuanced than you might have thought (Hint: it's more than just repetition).Key takeaways:Practice, practice, practice. Practicing once isn't enough.But it is more than just repetition, it needs to be deliberate practice.Don't just practice the action also practice the thoughts and beliefs behind the action.You can't trick yourself into believing something simply by saying it over and over again. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Look at your social circles and habitat. Do the groups you belong to have the identity you want? Does your home or office reflect the identity you want? If not, what can you easily change or adapt to make it more aligned with your vision of your Ideal Self?Key takeaways:Hack your habitat to support your vision of yourself.Spend your time with people who encourage you to become our best self (and avoid the folks who may sabotage you).Remove obstacles or temptations, instead of counting on willpower. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s exhausting to carry around a goal that we never get any closer to. To have a problem that we can’t solve–or that won’t stay solved. To make the same resolution over and over again.When you identify something that you want to change - and then don't take action or make progress - you start to pay a sort of psychic tax. Not only do you still have this unmet goal/desire, but you also have the added discomfort of realizing that you're not making progress, not converting intention into action.Not taking action is not a way to "save energy". It's EXHAUSTING to carry around a goal you never get any closer to.Key takeaways: 1. Unmet goals get heavier and heavier the longer you carry them around. 2. An unmet goal can be a barrier (or an excuse) to achieving other goals 3. Sometimes, it's wiser to let a goal go than to continue to pay the "interest" Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Your plan is your map. Without your map, you may make it to your destination but it will take a long time and you will expend a lot more energy and frustration getting there.Main points in this episode:Bridging the Intention/Behavior Gap (It’s not just you; everybody struggles with this).Action Planning: Anticipating how, when, where you will perform the steps. What do you need to put in place?Coping Planning (just as important but no-one ever talks about it). Anticipating the ways in which things may not go according to plan and being prepared to adapt. Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★