First lets focus on your strenghts. In previous step you named all your advantages, what you are good at, what comes easy for you. Now use it in building your plan! 🤗
:::
🔸️Your strenght: I’m very organized 🤓
➡️ Example in practice: I’ll plan each week and each day precisely, what do I have to do to reach my goal. It’s easier for me to get to work with a propper ‘to do’ list.
:::
🔸️ Your strenght: I’m flexible / creative 😜
➡️ Example in practice: Whenever new situation/obstacle appears don’t freak out. You’re creative, you got this! 💪Just sit down and think of a new way/new plan how to solve it/go around your obstacle 🤔.
E.g. I often work longer hours at work and end up with shorter time to work on my personal projects or suddenly get some family issue BUT I don’t cancel my ‘to do’ list completely 🚫. I work around it, leave those things that I can still manage to do that day and move some other stuff to the following day. Sometimes I change my ‘to do’ list even 5 times a day 🤪 but I never cross a thing to do off my list completely.
:::
🔸️ Your strenght: I am able to work late hours but I’m not an early bird 😴
➡️ Example in practice: You know yourself best! If it’s hard for you to get up early (e.g. on Saturdays) don’t plan anything for early hours thinking (“ah, I’ll definitely manage to get up this time!”). If you’re a night owl plan your stuff to do for evenings! 😉 You know what your most productive time of the day is, use it!
:::
Next week we’ll talk about how to plan your ‘to do’ list using your weaknesses and how to be ready to fight any excuse!
Tag: plan
Smiley Future – Step 64
Today we’re gonna finish creating new plan for maintaining change 🤗 – lets focus on last 2 letters of SMART method so answer those questions:
➡️Is your plan realistic?
➡️Will you be able to realize this plan now not as a part of a challenge/project/diet but as a new way of living 🤔? Have a moment to think whether it goes well with your everyday routine/schedule
➡️ What do you need to make the plan for maintaining the change realistic?
:::
Now time to set a new time bound – after what time will you realize you’ve achieved to maintain the change and that you’ve managed to make it a permanent change? Set a specific date 😉
:::
At first it can be after e.g. 3 months. Let this time be a test whether you’ve managed to maintain the change and maybe to check what do you need to change to make it permanent. It is very important to test it so you won’t go back to old bad habits 😉
:::
Next week: Create new implementation intentions
:::
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s book “90 days – design your tomorrrow”
Smiley Future – Step 62
How to maintain change? 🤔
:::
First hint is so obvious that it is actually common to miss out on by thinking „it will all work out itself” 🤷🏼♀️. And here it is: think how do you plan to maintain the change.
:::
Write your answer down and create a initial plan, of course using SMART method (see step 6) 🧐
:::
Task for today: focus on first 2 criteria of SMART method and try making your plan specific and measurable 📏📐
:::
For example, if you lost weight, improved your stamina 💪 and started having new nutritional habits, now in order to maintain it you probably don’t need to keep working out as often as you have but you can’t just sit down and get back to lazy life on sofa! 😉
:::
So you might (and should) plan to work out e.g. 3 times a week instead of 5-6. Choose form of your workouts (fitness, gym, jogging?) and plan it out in your calendar 📅
:::
If you e.g. learned a new language you also need to keep working on it, practicing etc .
Same with every finished project! 😉
:::
Now let’s have that coffee, a small bite of a macaroon and get to work! 😀
:::
Next week: Create new plan
:::
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s book “90 days – design your tomorrrow”
Smiley Future – Step 36
Today we continue the subject of lost motivation 🔽. If the reason of your motivation dropping is a change of circumstances, some difficult situation, be flexible with it! 😉
:::
Life often surprises us and it is possible that the reality is different than when you’ve set your goal and formed a plan of action 🤷🏼♀️.
:::
That’s why when reality brings you new challenges grab a pen and update your plan! ✒
:::
Turn your favourite music on 🎶, make yourself a nice cup of tea ☕ and do today’s task: prepare a new plan (remember our SMART method? 🤔 Go back to step 6), new implementation intentions (step 10) and process visualisation (step 11).
:::
Instead of dropping everything and quiting be flexible and adjust your plan to new reality 😉
:::
Your new plan:
S – Specific – what exactly do you want to accomplish? 🤩
M – Measurable – how will you know you’ve achieved your goal? 🤔
A – Achievable/Atractive – why is this goal important to you? 🧐
R – Realistic – are you able to reach it? 😅
T – Time Bound – by when will you reach it? 🕰
:::
Write down your implementation intentions.
And remember, something done is better than something perfect (but in your head) 😉!
:::
Next week: Lost motivation – an excercise
:::
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow”
Smiley Future – Step 15
🧠SMILEY FUTURE🧠
— Step 15
Today we’re gonna talk about 3 mind traps which might weaken your willpower and your willingness to act:
:::
1.Thinking „everything or nothing”
Have you ever thought „I do everything from my ‘to do’ list or drop everything”?
:::
If yes, then you got into „everything or nothing” trap which can have huge impact on your actions and effects (or lack of them) 🤷🏼♀️
:::
Thinking like that you don’t see your failures as small errors that you can learn from, you see it as total failure and you might start withdrawing generalized conclusions about yourself like „I’ll never succeed”, „I’m a failure” etc. STOP! 🚫
:::
* If you get trapped into those thoughts write all of them down ✒ Then write a counterargument to each one of them. Get back to it when you have another „everything or nothing” moment.
2. Excessive pessimism or optimism
„If I haven’t succeeded in 1 year I’ll never succeed” – that’s excessive pessimism when you have only negative thoughts about your future 👎
:::
Excessive optimism is when you ignore your past attempts and previous experience and keep thinking that „this time will be different, it will be perfect” 🙄 For example, you wanted to workout regularly, you’ve had couple attempts at it and failed eaxh time but now you think that you’ll have the willpower and you’ll workout 6 times a week for 3 months 💪🙄
:::
* If you know what I’m talking about write all of such examples down ✒. Now try to make each one of them more realistic e.g. „I’ll try to workout more regularly. I probably won’t be able to workout 6 times a week right away so I’ll workout 2 times this week, 3 times next week and keep improving”. :::
3. Exaggeration
You exaggerate all difficulties and make everything sound impossible. „I won’t make it”, „I never do anything right”. * If you do that write all of those thoughts down and write a counterargument to each one
:::
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow” 📸 pic taken in Italy in 2019
Smiley Future – Step 13
This is our last step of preparations and after that you’ll be ready to start reaching your goal! 😊
:::
Now we need to focus on your surroundings and people around you. You are already well prepared so now it’s time to let your close ones know that there will be changes/that you’ll e.g. have less free time etc.
:::
While focusing on your resolutions and goals you could forget that it would be good to also get your close ones ready. Why?
* You have a chance to present them your plan and to explain why your goal is important to you and ask them for support 🤝
* Once you’ll tell them about your resolution you’ll feel bigger pressure and it will be harder for you to let go once some obstacles come or you’ll have a bad day 😉
* While talking to your close ones you’ll see their reactions and you’ll know if you can count on them and have their support or the opposite 😉
:::
Unfortunately it happens that family or friends react on someone’s will to change with resistance or even anger. There are plenty stories of girls who decided to drop couch potato life and and start working out, eating healthy and they heard „You better stop because you’ll be anorectic”, „Are you crazy?” etc. 🙄
:::
Usually it comes from people who know that they should change something about their lives too and because they don’t want to do it, it is easier for them to denny it, sabotage positive changes in person next to them etc. 🙄 If you get those kind of reactions look for support in somebody else like me and other members of Smiley Society! 🤗
:::
But I do hope that you’ll get positive comments only.
Next week: What is willpower and how does it work
:::
Next week:
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow”
📸 pic taken in Greece in 2015
Smiley Future – Step 12
🧠SMILEY FUTURE🧠
— Step 12
Preparations to start reaching our goal are coming to an end – we start in 2 steps! If you have started earlier I hope that those prepation steps inspire you to possible changes and make your chance for success bigger 💪
:::
After last long and big step today there’s much simpler and quicker one 😉. Answer only one question: What do you need to reach your goal? 🤔
:::
Take a moment to write all of those stuff down – from most simple ones to those more complicated, for example: new leggins, prescribed diet, better time management, support from others.
:::
Maybe during creating your plan or during process visualisation you’ve already realised what you’re missing?
:::
Use this step to try and get those things, to organize or find a solution you need.
:::
If you don’t come up with any solution remember I can help! You’re not alone, use Smiley Society support 😘
Next week: Prepare your surroundings
:::
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow”
📸 pic taken in 2016
Smiley Future – Step 11
You often hear that imagining success helps you get motivated. Research shows though that it is not imagining success that helps but visualisation of process so imagining the path that takes you to your goal 🏁
:::
The visualisation makes you practice in your mind the difficult path that awaits you and helps you get ready for its all steps.
:::
Depending on what works on you best, punishments or rewards, you can choose proces visualisation with a negative outcome (what happens when you don’t reach the goal) or with positive outcome (what happens when you do).
:::
* Simulation of process with positive outcome 👍
Imagine going shopping and you choose only healthy products. Imagine passing sweets section and not taking any 🚫. Imagine being at a party full of food and unhealthy snacks where everybody eats but you don’t. Imagine you working out and doing excercises that you like, e.g. swimming, riding a bike etc. You’ve reached your goal 💪 Imagine yourself thin with a beautiful body. Imagine walking into a party looking fabulous and having all people stare at you 🤩
:::
*Simulation of process with negavite outcome 👎and proces letting you avoid it
Imagine yourself fatter. Your favourite pants don’t fit because you put on weight 😳. Family and friends tell you that your overweight problem becomes more and more serious. You walk into a party and people look at you and gossip. You feel bad about yourself, you’re unhappy and you’re self-esteem drops 😞 Now imagine how you can avoid those situations. You buy only healthy stuff. You don’t overeat at a party. See with your imagination you working out 💪
:::
Those are examples from the research. Now think of your visualisations.
1. Decide whether you are more sensitive to punishments or to rewards 👍👎
2. Imagine the proces taking you to your goal (process of losing weight, looking for a better job etc.) – make sure to imagine specific situations 🧐
3. Write your visualisation down
Keep reading it and imagining the proccess several times a week 📝
Next week: What do you need to reach your goal
—
Source: @chodakowskaewa‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow”
📸 Greece, 2015
Smiley Future – Step 10
🧠SMILEY FUTURE🧠
— Step 10
Implementation intention meaning how to implement your plan into life.
.
Last week you created a plan of action based on your stenghts 💪 Today we’re gonna add your weakneses and obstacles that you may come upon to it. To make it all work you’re gonna need implementation intention but don’t worry, it’s a simple mechanism that is very effective!
.
How does it work? Imagine possible future scenarios that can be obstacles to reaching your goal and then find a solution for it. Later create (and write down!) a sentence: „If situation X happens, I’m gonna do Y” 😊
.
Example: „If i’ll be eating out I’m gonna choose healthy and fit dish, for example a salad” 🥦. „If I won’t want to workout I’ll ask my close ones for support and cheering” 💪. „When I’ll be doing shopping I’ll go to a store with a prepared ‘to buy’ list” 🗒
.
Creating scenarios like this in your head is effective because it creates a connection between a situation/obstacle and your reaction to it. ⚠️ If a situation like this happens you won’t have to wonder what to do! You’ll work automatically because you’ve already excercised that scenario in your head 😉
.
Making decisions (especially pushing temptations away 😅) requires a lot of energy from you and when you’re in a hurry or hungry you choose what’s easiest but not what’s best 🤔. You know what I’m talking about? Implementation intention is for those kind of situations!
.
So let’s get to work! Try to think of as many situations in which you let go and lose your motivation. Find best reactions to them and write them down in „If situation X happens, I’m gonna do Y” scheme 😊
.
Next week: Process visualisation
Source: @chodakowskaeka‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow”
📸 pic taken in Malta in 2016
Smiley Future – Step 9
🧠SMILEY FUTURE🧠 — Step 9
Creating plan based on your strenghts
In those difficult times we all need a bit of a break for your mind 🤯 Just sit down, relax and start creating your plan of action!
:::
You’ve been preparing it for the last 8 steps so I hope this will be easy and pleasant for you 😉
:::
I encourage you to write down how do you want to realize your goal (set in SMART method) with help of your strenghts from step 7 💪
:::
* What are you good at?
Example: I’m reliable. I always keep my promises.
Submission to the action plan: „I’ll make a pact with another person to workout togetherm then it’ll be easier for me to realise my training plan as I will want to be reliable to the other person”
:::
* What are you effective at? What kind of situations you feel biggest impact on?
Example: I’m very organised
Submission to the action plan: „I’ll organize a plan for a day/week this way so I’d have time for activities related to the goal – training, cooking, spending time with family, writing CV etc.”
That’s my way 🙋🏼♀️
:::
* If you’ve managed to establish who you can count on in your surroundings when it comes to realising your goal, somebody who has the knowledge and experience, turn to that person for an advice. Use the hints you get from him/her to make or change your plan. Be flexible and open to any hints you get. You know yourself best! How can you use somebody’s knowledge and experience?
:::
*Your life situation e.g. if your financial situation lets you buy training programs or a career consultation. Your family situation is important here too e.g. if you have small children maybe apart from husband your family or friends can help you find time to realise your goal? How will you use your life situation in your plan?
:::
I hope those examples showed you the essence of today’s task – plan of action based on your strenghts. If you’ll get some comments while preparing this plan like what is difficult for you, what hardly ever works write them down, we’ll get back to them.
:::
Next week: How to use your weaknesses!
—
Source: @chodakowskaeka‘s new book “90 days – design your tomorrow” 📸 pic taken in China in 2012 (yes, that’s me 😅)
How to be HAPPY 