Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God

Philippians 4:6

How do you create lasting change? There are thousands of words which have been spoken and written on this topic and it would be impossible to create a complete roadmap in this short thoughtpager. However, I want to leave some things to consider.

Tony Robbins, the country’s leading expert in behavior change, said there are three things needed to create lasting change. One, the new behavior should be a must not a should. Two, you must believe that the change depends on you, not anyone. Three, you must believe that you can change.

James Clear, author and speaker, advocates that change starts with small shifts in behavior. They are so small that they could be thought of as atomic. Imagine you want to start exercising. Your atomic habit might be setting out your shoes and socks the night before. Then the next day it might be putting them on. The next day it may be putting them on and walking up your street then back to your house. Eventually you can transform into a person who runs in your neighborhood or on the treadmill at your gym.

James also said there are days when you may slip from your routine for whatever reason. Get back up as soon as you can and keep going. “We do not rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems,” says James. If we continue to execute on the habits, processes, and nuances required to reach our goal, getting there is inevitable.

Change takes time. So do not thwart your progress by getting so frustrated or irritated with yourself that you stop chipping away when you do not realize the change as quickly as you expected. When a tree cutter keeps hacking away at a tree trunk it may appear that it would never fall. But there comes a point after many chops when the cutter needs only to push on the tree with one of his hands and it will come crashing down because of all the prior effort he made.

Angela Duckworth, author, educator, and speaker, says in exchange for a fixed mindset we should strive to adopt a growth mindset. If you think that your intelligence is fixed or you cannot change, this indicates a fixed mindset. If you believe that you can learn and improve, that shows a growth mindset.

In summary, to create lasting change, believe that you can do it, continue to take small steps and do not be frustrated by how long it takes.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Joshua 1:9