This morning, while journaling, a new process came to me that I knew I had to post here. It was originally called the Turn-Around, but the more I thought about it, I realized that this process is really a step-up, so I’ve re-dubbed it to The STEP-UP.
It’s a 15-20 second process that consists of 7 simple questions. The intention of The STEP-UP is to re-direct thinking while having an experience you don’t want to have or that isn’t necessarily good for you, so you can make a new choice to do something a little bit better than what you’re currently doing.
First I’ll give you the questions, then I’ll offer two scenarios below where the questions have been applied to step-up a situation into positive territory. Before you begin the process, take a deep breath.
The 7 Simple Questions:
1. What am I doing?
2. Why am I doing that?
3. Does this feel good?
4. Is this good for me?
5. Do I have a choice here?
6. What is the next highest thought/action I could reach for?
7. Am I ready, willing and able to do that?
That’s it. 7 Simple Questions that can step up a situation into more positive territory.
Here’s a couple of scenarios where I’ve applied the questions and provided probable answers:
Scenario Number One
You’re trying to get the kids ready for school in the morning, you’re hurried and harried, and you catch your son playing with his Nintendo (for the second time) rather than getting dressed. You feel the heat rise and your voice raises as you tell him (yet again) to get ready for school.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
1. What am I doing?
I’m yelling at my kid.
2. Why am I doing that?
Because this little person is not getting ready fast enough and I already told him twice to stop playing with that *&*#$@ Nintendo and get ready for school!
3. Does this feel good?
NO!
4. Is this good for me?
NO!
5. Do I have a choice here?
Yes…
6. What’s my next highest alternative?
I guess I could stop yelling, even though I’m still hot.
7. Am I ready, willing and able to do that?
Yes.
Then do it. It’s simple, fast and easy. More importantly, it’s effective because it raises awareness of patterns of thought and behavior, reminds you that you always have choice, and then prompts you to come up with an alternative, then do it.
Scenario Number Two
You’re about to enter the McDonald’s drive thru and order a super-sized double cheeseburger meal (my personal favorite before I turned it around–read about it here…)
Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
1. What am I doing?
I’m about to buy a super-sized cheeseburger meal at McDonald’s.
2. Why am I doing that?
Because that’s what I feel like eating.
3. Does this feel good?
Yeah! My mouth is already watering.
4. Is this good for me?
No.
5. Do I have a choice here?
Yes.
6. What’s my next highest alternative?
I could order a double cheeseburger meal that’s not super-sized.
7. Am I ready, willing and able to do that?
Yes.
As you can see, there’s no need to shoot for the stars with this process; don’t try to dramatically improve your behavior in this process.
This is a process for making incremental moment-by-moment changes that are cumulative and will result in positive changes in what you do every day, which is where your destiny lies.
Your destiny is the sum total of all the little daily habits you engage in. When you make several tiny changes throughout the day, and consistently, you create a better life, step by precious step.
Try the process and let me know how it works for you–you can post your comment below…
Until next time be very blessed,
Minister Val
Tags: conscious living, Destiny Living, growth and development, habits, mastery, presence, transformation
Leave a Reply