Ever notice that parts of your life feel Gorilla-glued in place, but when it comes to some of the changes you want, it seems like they’re held in place by baby oil?
When Something’s Gotta Give
At either end and in between “Is this all that life holds for me?” and “Get me out of the hell that my life has become!” there’s a moment of realizing that something needs to change.
It’s human nature to hope that the “something” that needs changing isn’t you.
However, your life is a reflection of your thoughts and beliefs. As you know, the only way to change a reflection is to change its source.
The Good and Bad News
The good news is that you can do it. You can make changes that create the life you want to live.
The bad news is that no one can do it for you.
Making Change Easier
One of the problems with change is that we want it to happen immediately. Changing a limiting belief can happen that fast, but learning new habits takes longer.
Another problem is that we have a picture-perfect idea of change. Anything less than perfection and the tendency is to feel like you failed.
That simply isn’t true.
It’s fine to have the ideal as a goal. But you’ll get there much faster if you also have a set of BAMs.
What Are BAMs?
BAMs translate to bare arse minimums.
They’re habits you build and things you do that are supportive and loving even on days when you feel unsupported and unloved or unsupportive and unloving.
I recommend that you have them for:
- Food
- Thoughts
- Social
- Environment
If you aren’t sure where to start, here’s what I recommend for each.
Food – Mostly eat whole or minimally processed high-nutrient foods, and drink water or herbal teas.
Thoughts – Practice square breathing, correcting yourself in a positive way when you catch yourself having a negative thought, and visualizing success with vivid detail. If you’re overwhelmed or out of time, do just the square breathing as you fall asleep at night.
Social – Spend more time with positive and supportive people than with negative or unsupportive people.
Environment – Take five minutes each day to clean, de-clutter, automate, or organize your house or schedule.
If you want changes to stick, aim for the stars, but practice your BAMs.
There’s an entire chapter in my book, Same Shit Different Day, dedicated to BAMs. The chapter, “Feeding Yourself,” has explanations, shortcuts, and examples of what it looks like to add them to your life.