Begin with a Baseline

Making changes in your life is a great way to grow and develop as a person. Change is an ongoing process that is a natural part of being human. When you decide to make a change in your life, begin where you are. It will be challenging to make the necessary changes until you know where they are. It would be best if you started with a baseline.

Starting with a baseline allows you to determine where you are and what you are doing to determine precisely what needs to be changed. Many of us are entirely unaware of what we are doing. When a client tells me they want to lose weight, the first thing I have them do is keep a food journal for a week to establish a baseline. The following week, they discussed how surprised they were to discover how much they were eating and what they were eating. Many of us are operating on autopilot and are entirely unaware of what we are doing. When you track it – and this applies to anything – you get a clear picture of where you are and what needs to change.

I once read a statistic that stated that most people consistently spend 10% more than they earn. I believe that what is spent, particularly on a credit card, is not tracked. I once had a client who did not have enough time to complete all of her tasks. She was painfully aware that she was spending hours in front of the television after tracking her time for a week. The first step toward change is raising awareness. Before moving forward, you must become aware of what you are doing and where you are. Keeping track for a week or two will provide helpful information to help you with your change efforts.

Before you embark on any change initiative, you must first understand where you are. It reminds me of those travel maps with an X next to "You are here." It will be impossible to make the necessary changes until you know where you are - and many of us aren't.

The first step in your change effort is to assess your current situation. Maintain a journal for a week or two. This will provide you with a more realistic picture of what you are doing. You can keep track of everything, from how much money you spend to how much sleep you get. You can proceed once you know the truth about where you are.