Do you ever feel like you are so far from the person you know that you are capable of being? For the longest time, that was the way I felt…even when I was doing everything I could to “be a better person”. If you relate, you are really going to appreciate this article.

I can remember, back when I was perpetually dieting, I would tell myself I was going to completely overhaul my diet on Monday, the first of the month, or after some major event happened. The time would come and I’d hardly make it through breakfast before I was “off track” on my very intricate 1200-calorie plan that I had taken hours to come up with. At the time, I thought it was my lack of willpower and self-control that was responsible and that I just didn’t have what it took to lose weight and change my habits. Now, I know that’s just not true and that the approach I was taking was the problem.

The truth is, overhauling your life overnight rarely works. Why? Because in order to create lasting change, you need to retrain your subconscious mind (which is responsible for 95% of your actions). When we set out to change our life, our conscious mind is the one that is running the show (which is only responsible for a mere 5% of our actions). Too often, we bite off more than we can chew when it comes to the habits we are trying to develop and never come close to ingraining them into our subconscious mind.

In the example of dieting, we may try to go from overeating regularly, eating out, and never preparing food at home to restricting our calories and preparing all of our meals at home. It’s far too big of a leap to take at one time and we don’t end up lasting long enough to retrain our subconscious mind and create healthy habits.

Here are three steps you can take to start changing your life today:

Step 1: Pick one small habit to start developing.

Instead of overhauling everything overnight, pick one small habit so you can begin building momentum with your goals. For example, let’s say your desire is to create a healthier diet. You may choose to start with drinking 8 glasses of water, knowing that this has many benefits (boosting your metabolism, curbing your appetite, etc.). Remember to focus on what you are adding to your life vs. taking away. It’s always easier to add things to your life versus limit, it’s just how our human mind works.

Step 2: Start a streak.

Download an app like Habit Bull or Way of Life (free for the iPhone in the App Store) and start tracking how many days you’ve been able to do this habit. This brings positive energy to your goals and helps you build momentum and confidence. It also helps retrain your subconscious mind by putting an emphasis on your goal and making it a priority.

Step 3: Journal about your goals every day.

Even though you may “just” be drinking your 8 glasses of water, you can journal about your goal of being healthier to create more positive energy behind your intention. What else are you doing as a “bonus” to accomplishing your overall goal of being healthy that day? Did you get a 20 minute workout in? Get 100 grams of protein in? Prepare two of your three meals at home? Write anything that you did that is moving you towards your goal of being healthy, creating more energy, living your life of Vitality, etc.

If you think that these small goals won’t make a difference, guess again! This method of setting goals has completely changed my life and the lives of dozens of my clients. Why? Because instead of procrastinating starting your plan to change your life because it is overwhelming (and then starting over once you start because it was too much to do at once), you immediately begin creating small progress. This small progress creates energetic momentum and confidence. With that energy behind your intention, The Universe is invited to step in and help you manifest your desired outcome. It really is amazing to watch how quickly momentum is build with this method!

The hardest part of this whole process is having faith it will work because it goes against everything we’ve been taught…that in order to create results, you have to work really hard for them and deprive yourself. Logically though, that old way has not worked for you in the past. You’ve seen it time and time again! It also helps to remember that you are OK right now, not just after you accomplish your goals. The feeling of disconnect you get when it comes to the person you are now and the person you are meant to be will start dissolving when you begin this process. That is because you’ll finally be able to feel like you’re making progress and building momentum. Isn’t that wonderful!?

So…tell me in the comments below…what is your overall general goal you’re working towards (i.e. creating more Vitality in your life, being healthier, losing weight, etc.)? And what is the small baby step you are going to take every single day to build momentum and positive energy around your goal? I’d love to hear from you!