At stage five, the new behavior must be firmly established. Where you have created a path, it is necessary that you pave the way by constantly walking this path (=repeating) until it becomes a great road. An athlete, for example, ensures his success by training again and again until he reaches the desired condition. This is also true in the game of behavior change. It is a matter of conditioning oneself over and over again (conditioning = to manufacture something by constant repetition).
Train new behavior
Our subconscious mind cannot distinguish whether a thing is real or exists only in our imagination. It reacts as if it were real even when imagining it. Repeat your desired goal and behavior as often as possible, even if only in thoughts, images, words, and feelings. Train continuously and sustainably. Don’t wait for the “right” time, start now, it is always the right time. Start right away to secure your implementation successes and repeat them permanently. Go full commitment to execution.
One of the most important points for lasting behavior change is to immediately accept your desired behavior and keep reinforcing it. If you now approach tasks that used to frustrate you in a relaxed and playful manner, be proud of yourself and reinforce your new behavior. Be happy that you are on the right track. Smile to yourself or reward yourself by listening to your favorite CD, for example.
There is nothing good unless you do it
Now let’s enter the last, the sixth stage of the change process. You have climbed all five stages, all the starting conditions are in place. Check out one last time what happens when you adopt your new behavior permanently. Think again about how this new behavior will affect your family, your reputation, and your job.
Since you have already created an implementation plan with written goals, go through all the steps again in your mind. Get in the mood mentally, then get started. Start the day with the right attitude, start it actively.
At the beginning of the day, ask yourself, “Why am I happy today?” Think about what will be good for you that day. Transfer your goals from your weekly schedule to your daily schedule. Work specifically according to this daily schedule – at the end of the day, check off which of your goals you actually accomplished and check them off.
End your day by asking yourself, “What was good today?” Look forward to your implementation successes now. Be proud right now that you are one of those people who can make lasting changes to everything they want to change. So, get going, because winning begins with starting.
