Out with Old Habits

Remember when it seemed every company was hiring a Change Agent? That was the organizational specialist that identified and laid out the steps necessary to keep a firm profitable as technology and business standards changed in the late ’90’s. Often it was difficult to get buy-in from employees, as they were asked to learn new skills. But a healthy company needed a flexible workforce. The choice was simple. Learn new work habits or risk your job. Funny how the same concept applies to people. As we age, we discover our old habits might be costly. Smoking, lack of exercise, poor diets, or constant stress might have been tolerable in the past, but if you’re looking towards a sustainable future, some changes are necessary. And the message is the same. Learn new health habits or risk your life.

What that means is you need to be your own Change Agent. Identify those areas that need work, the habits that need to change. Do you need to schedule exercise into your work week? Maybe you need to replace nutritionally-void fast food with fresh, whole choices. Whatever the changes, lay out a step by step plan for developing the habits that will improve your quality of life.

So, what if that hasn’t worked in the past? Maybe you weren’t ready, or maybe you just need a little push this time. Grab a friend and make a pact that you’ll create individual wellness plans and hold each other accountable. Or hire a wellness coach to partner with you.

This is a great time of year to address those nasty little habits. Longer days, slower schedules, fresh local produce, and a bucketful of outdoor activities for the whole family can be just the motivators you need.

Pick one habit. Pick a reward for success. And become the Change Agent that turned your life around.