Everything we do is a process. The more simple the process the easier it is to understand and analyze what we are doing. Improving yourself is a process. One step at a time is the best way I have found to promote positive and lasting change in my life. So I start with step 1…

DEVELOP YOUR IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT TO CHANGE.

In order to make any change to your life you need to know where you are and where you want to go. The first question to ask yourself is

What do I want to happen?

Once you have decided on the result you are after you will need to determine if it is within your power to accomplish your new idea. First ask yourself

Is there something I can personally do to make this happen?

If your answer is no, then you can stop right here. The only way to improve yourself is to rely upon your own actions. If you are waiting for someone else to solve your problem then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. However if your answer is YES, there is something I can do to make this happen, then you will have to ask yourself another question

Am I willing to do what is necessary to make the change.

This is an honest question to yourself, and answering honestly is important. No matter what happens in your life be sure to be brutally honest with yourself. It truly does not matter what anyone else thinks about your desires, they are yours alone. If you want something to impress others then it is something you do not want. What you are looking for is the acceptance of those you see as important to you. Be honest with what you are asking for and it will be easier for you to achieve what you set out to do.

So if you are willing to do what you can to bring about the new result you are looking for then it is time to move on to the second step of the process

GET THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

The right attitude to have when you are setting out to change something important to you can not be simply classified as positive. In fact, it may seem to be to aggressive to be called positive for some. The right attitude is one where you will succeed, or die trying. There is no room for failure because when you carry this attitude failure does not exist. Setbacks, obstacles, wrong directions are all just opportunities to learn what not to do. Failing is getting knocked down and staying down. With the right attitude you will get knocked down 50 times and get up 51.

Now that you know what you want to accomplish and you have the right attitude you can start to learn what is necessary to succeed. It is time for step 3

GAIN THE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE

This can be the most daunting part of the journey because you will be asking for help from others. There is a huge amount of information available to you on the internet, in books, or on video for countless topics, however communicating with those who have achieved results you are looking for will give you a human perspective on what to expect. A teacher, coach, or mentor can give you a blueprint to build from and then you can improve upon what they have done. This is standing on the shoulders of Giants. Each of us learns from those who have come before us and then take those actions to the next level.

While you are gaining the necessary knowledge you will determine what your next step is. NOT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THE BIG IDEA, JUST THE NEXT STEP. This is important because if you try to plan too far ahead you will probably be wasting time on eventualities which never happen and become paralyzed by the size of the task in front of you. No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy, so figure out what the next step is and accomplish that. Then decide on the next step and accomplish that. Then decide on the next step and accomplish that. And so on, and so on…

To sum up gaining knowledge, do not discount any avenue for learning. You never know where you will find the information you are looking for so use every resource you can find. Then use the information to determine your next step and get on to step 4 of the process

PRACTICE

Change is about action. We are not what we think, but what we do. Our actions define our results so practice your new actions in a controlled environment until you become comfortable with the new method. Practice often and practice hard. Put all of your effort into your practice until you feel like it is second nature to perform the new method as desired. Imagine you are a basketball player, do you want to be practicing free throws during the fourth quarter of a playoff game, or do you want you ability to shoot free throws to be second nature when it counts?

So practice often, practice hard, and practice like it matters, because it matters to you.

All of the previous work leads to where the rubber meets the road, step 5

PUT YOUR NEXT STEP INTO ACTION

Time to try out what you have learned, developed, and practiced. Change your actions in the real world, where they count. It will not feel comfortable, but that is why you practiced so hard. This is the opportunity to change your actions in order to change the result into what you have been looking for. Do your best with your changed behavior. Perform the new method as though you know it will work. Give the new method every opportunity to succeed and do it repeatedly.

Once the new method has been put into action we will analyze the results. Did you get better? If yes then celebrate! You are better today than you were yesterday and that means you have succeeded! Did you get the ultimate result you were looking for? Probably not. Which means you are at the top of the cycle again and have an opportunity to develop the next idea on how to improve your results. Then get the Right Attitude. Gain the Necessary Knowledge. Practice, practice, practice. Put your new method into play and analyze your results again.

Follow these steps and you can not help but succeed because if your performance improves you will be in place to build from the success and improve again. If your performance slips, then you have learned what not to do and can change direction immediately.

These steps have worked well for me over the years and I hope nothing but success for you as well!