Day 11: 4 new habits in 28 days - Frameworks for Change

The goal was 4 new habits in 28 days, and I've blogged my progress daily here on my blog. See the bottom of the post for more about the 4 habits.

11 days in, and it's not been without it's challenges therefore I thought I'd use the Frameworks for Change Coaching Process* I use in coaching 

The tool basically uses cards to ask questions and invites us to see situations from a different perspective as a result of discussing and debating the words on the cards.

Here's the cards I pulled: 

• Insight: You value and express the quality of Kindness in the present situation 
• Potential setback: You are setback by perfectionism in the present situation
• Insight: You take the responsibility of using your power wisely
• Mentor: Humour

Before reading further please consider how you might personally interpret the cards as a solution to a current situation in your life.

Insight: You value and express the quality of Kindness in the present situation 

This card invites me to see myself as others do and to be kind, and perhaps also to celebrate my commitment to achieving these new habits rather than beat myself up for not achieving them (or if it looks like I may fail just quickly doing something to rectify that at the end of the day).

If I'm not careful adherence to the habits might seen to be too harsh and certainly not kind. I'm working in Manchester this week, and out in the evenings. Perhaps I'm being invited to be more relaxed about how I achieve 'do something different every day' and not worry too much if the soup I've had was made from stock with gluten in. The blogging is also an additional habit that I'd added without knowing - and updating what I've done differently on day 3's blog. Being kind to myself is therefore about taking myself off the conveyor belt and taking the next few days off blogging and focus on what's important!

Potential setback: You are setback by perfectionism in the present situation

I think I said it all in the above paragraph. Embedding the 4 new habits isn't about being perfect. It's about doing them as any other human would, and will therefore include off days.  

A Landscaping Your Life blog on Perfection resonates for this setback too. 

Insight: You take the responsibility of using your power wisely

Wow! It's not often the cards all say the same thing just from different angles. My attention for the next 3 days is on coaching others, and my energy will therefore be directed towards them and not worrying about measuring what I'm doing and focusing time on whether I've had 1.8 litres of water or 2! I will focus on what's important, and if everything else happens then that's great. I know that flies in the face of yesterday's advice but it's about getting the balance right.

Mentors: Humour

Mentor cards invite you to think of someone who is a role model to you for the behaviour(s) stated. In this example asking you what a role model for humour would do.

Oh dear - I suspect they'd tell me it's a good idea I'm going out, and to enjoy Beth Orton and the company of my colleagues.

As you've read my interpretation you may have noticed other meanings behind the cards. The key is being able to look at a situation and see alternative solutions of how to solve the problem. Once there's a few different solutions then it's simply a case of trying them out and seeing which is most effective in moving from the current situation towards the desired situation.

What may you want to do differently as a result of applying these cards, or my own insights, to a current situation? 

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change - Inside and Out

The 4 habits that I have undertaken for the last 11 days are:

1. I will consistently eat gluten (and nightshade) free every day 9/11
2. I will do my hip mobilisation every day 11/11
3. I will drink at least 2 litres of water every day 11/11
4. I will do at least one thing differently every day  11/11 - I drove via the A1 (rather than M74/M6) to Manchester and so was able to visit friends in Bradford, and call into Bamburgh beach on the way past :-)

Blog posts of the journey to embed these 4 new habits have so far included - finding the inspiration, vision and goal setting, setting targets, doing things differently, wavering, finding support, commitment, the danger of making assumptions, measuring progress and slaying the old habits and thoughts.

Hypertext links in the text above link to previous blogs written on the subject.

#28daychallenge

* Frameworks for change coaching process copyright Innerlinks www.innerlinks.com