We all know that change can be hard. Some of us resist it, fight it, and do everything possible to avoid it. But so often if we want to get to that next level change is necessary – especially when it comes to our personal growth and development. To achieve our goals and reach our full potential, we need to be willing to transform ourselves on a regular basis, and this is exactly what a High Performing individual will do.

However, this can be a difficult task without the right strategies in place. So how do we implement some simple ways to make transformation easier and more effective.

One of the most important things to remember when trying to change things up is that High Performance comes from transformation. What does this mean? It means that we need to be willing to do things differently and think about things in new ways. It’s often helpful to remind ourselves of this daily, either through affirmations, positive visualizations, setting up plans and procedures and reaffirming what we want and why we want it.

Even simple things like setting triggers on our phone reminding us of the type of person that we would like to be. It’s by focusing on the fact that we are transforming ourselves, that allows us to stay motivated and committed to the process.

Another way to make transformation easier is to build stickability. This means creating habits and routines that support our new way of living. For example, if we want to eat healthier, we need to make sure that we always have healthy food options available. If we want to exercise more, we need to find a time and place that works for us and make it a priority. It’s also a good idea to attach the exercise to another activity. For example, something that reminds us that after we do this (school drop off), we do that (go for a walk). By making small changes in our daily lives, we can slowly but surely transform ourselves into the people we want to be.

Finally, it’s important to assess the difference between uncomfortable but beneficial change versus and damaging change. Sometimes we need to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones to enable us to grow, but other times we need to be careful not to put ourselves in harm’s way. It’s important to listen to our intuition and trust our gut when it comes to making decisions about change.

When we coach ‘Change’ in High Performance, we use something called This/ That Rules. It’s a tool that helps us to be more direct and specific when setting our goals and designing our thoughts for changes in our life. What this means is that we set our own statements about things that we would like (this) versus things that we don’t (that), and as a result, it allows us to stay more connected. It also helps maintain clarity throughout our journey through this change.

Examples of this are:

• I want this, not that
• I will always choose this, not that
• When this happens, I will do that

Let me tell you about Jim:

Jim was debating whether to purchase a new accounting practice to add to his already successful one, and he was in the early stages of doing so. He knew that by doing this, things would change – i.e.. larger client base, he would need more staff… and the list goes on. Using the rules above Jim decided on the following.

• Jim wanted to earn more revenue but not work harder (I want this, not that)
• He wanted to choose work that was more interesting but not more stressful (I will always choose this, not that)
• When he got an uncomfortable feeling about a new potential client, he would not take on the work and instead he would listen to his gut and say no (when this happens, I will do that)

If you’re looking for ways to transform your life, try implementing some of these simple strategies. High performance comes from transformation, so don’t be afraid to change things up!

With a little effort, you can achieve anything you set your mind to because ultimately transformation requires us to change, as what got us here, won’t get us to that next level.