Big Change? Break It Down | Baby Steps To Change
In their book, “Switch”, Chip & Dan Heath address the subject of change. One technique they discuss is breaking down the change into smaller bite-sized chunks. We like financial guru, Dave Ramsey’s label — “baby steps”.
Clean House
In their book, Chip & Dan talk about the “Fly Lady“. The Fly Lady is a house cleaning expert (think of a maid with wings flying around the house) who explains that people usually dread cleaning their house. They possibly wake up on Saturday morning, and they begin the terrible task of cleaning the filthy house. Why do they dread this process since everyone likes a clean home?
The simple answer is the chore of cleaning the entire house is too large, and the goal is…well…dreadful. At the end of cleaning the house, the whole house must be entirely clean to call it a “success”. Chip & Dan (and the Fly Lady) suggest breaking the chore of cleaning the house down to “5-minute segments”. Set a timer for 5 minutes and pick an area to clean, and go for it until the timer beeps. Doing these “baby steps” of cleaning on a daily basis will instill a sense of success. Those 5-minute segments will give you a feeling of accomplishment.
Total Money Makeover
Many have heard of the Total Money Makeover. This is a program developed by the financial expert and TV show host, Dave Ramsey, which helps people eliminate the debt they’ve accumulated over the years. Using a technique known as the “debt snowball” those in debt can eliminate their outstanding debt. Dave suggests using “baby steps” to pay off the lowest balance credit card (instead of the highest interest). After that low-balance card is paid off, simply take that payment and apply it to the next lowest balance card, and the next card…and the next. Why does it work? The feeling of paying off each credit card gives that feeling of accomplishment. Once that first card is paid off, the debtee knows he/she can be successful.
Career Baby Steps
In the CareerFinder(TM) Method, our new program for those sick & tired of a bad career, we recommend changing careers in a baby-step formula. What is the one thing that you can do in the immediate future to start moving to a new career. Is it volunteering? Taking a training class? Enrolling at community college to take a prerequisite course? Maybe it is even taking a Vocation Vacation!
Whatever the change is - whether it is house cleaning, financial freedom, or career change - the switch can be made by making the steps small & achievable!
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[...] SMART After getting clear and embracing change in CareerFinder(TM) Method program, we ask participants to set 1, 3, & 5 year goals in many [...]