If you could change anything, what would be different by the end of this year? It’s a question I often ask clients, but in January, it crosses almost everyone’s mind. The thing is, change doesn’t happen just by thinking about it, and that’s why most New Years Resolutions fail. Our brains and bodies like habits because they make life more efficient, but if your current habits are keeping you stuck, it will take more than a burst of commitment to change them. Here are five tips to help you make real and lasting change:

1. You need to know why it’s important to change, and your reason has to matter to YOU, at a deep emotional level.

Too many people resolve to quit smoking or go on a diet because they know they should for their health. The problem is they still feel ok, and the good feelings they get from smoking or eating are so much more positive, clear and strong than the concept in their mind of what it will feel like to be healthier. Those who succeed are either scared by a close call (powerfully emotional), or they are able to attach themselves to a clear, emotional, and positive vision of themselves in a healthier body. That clear vision and positive emotion is the thing that keeps them going as they develop new habits. Read More→

The book “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard is a 98-page look at the various ways that we react to change. In the book, there are two mice and two mice-size humans and we see how each reacts when their cheese has been moved — not just moved, but no longer in sight.

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Managing Change: 7 Universal Laws for Making Change Work for You

David Bowie once sang “Ch-ch-ch-changes, tryin’ to face the strain”

So in an effort to help you manage change without strain, here are 7 Universal Laws for successfully managing change: Read More→

• Closet Cleanse: Each season, it’s important to review your wardrobe and shed items that no longer fit, you don’t wear, or could be put to better use at a local homeless shelter.  If your duds seem too posh for the castaway pile, try consignment, perhaps using the earned money for a fun, fall purchase.

The fruits of a previous closet cleanse, heading off to Goodwill.   Read More→

With Fall upon us and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s important not to neglect your health. Unlike the “laissez faire” attitude that seems to be the essence of Summer, Fall tends to be more regimented, with increases in workload, schools back in session and the reduction in daylight hours. Read More→