Let It Bloom

Even the most beautiful flower doesn't bloom until the time is right. Without the right amount of sunshine, the perfect temperature, or enough water, the flower might not bloom.

Now, you may be thinking, if my conditions aren't right, if I don't get my sun or my perfect temperature or my water, I won't bloom.

Well, yeah. If none of these conditions happen, the inferno takes over, and the earth finally goes dark, then you're right. You're flower will shrivel up and die.

But I'm going to go out on a whim and hope that climate change doesn't cause the end of civilization any time soon; we can discuss the inevitable heat death of the universe in a different article.

Each and every year, the right conditions are put in place for a flower bloom. Now, not every flower needs the same conditions. Even within the same species of flower, some bloom later or earlier than others.

That's okay.

The exact time when the flower blooms is irrelevant, what's important to know is that changes are happening all the time.

In fact, the only thing you can be certain on if life is that things will change. Even if you live a rather routine and uneventful life, things will inevitably change.

You can't really prevent these changes, or at times, even predict when they'll happen. The right weather might come two weeks later than it did the year before, or it might be really cold for an extra month. But the timing doesn't matter, change is always coming.

Did you know that even if all the conditions are perfect, a flower won't bloom until one gene tells it too?

That's right, the Apetala1 gene is what tells the flower when it's time to bloom. One gene out of millions makes the decision to alter the flower. One gene.

If one small gene can make such a big difference in a flower, then one decision to make a change can help you bloom, too.

Everyone is always saying that the new year needs to equal a "new you." If you ask me, that's a pretty tall order, and downright unrealistic. I hate to be the one to say it, but if you try to change your entire person, you're not likely to succeed.

Instead, start by making one small change.

By small, I mean small. Did you know that it takes 7 days to make a habit, but nearly a month to break it? By starting small, you can focus your energy on the task at hand and you'll be more likely to succeed.

Establish A Routine

To make a change, start by making one change to your routine. For example, instead of saying you're going to work out every day when you've never worked out before, start by making some small changes to your daily routine. Such as:

• Walk to the coffee shop on your break instead of drive.
• Go for a morning walk with your coffee.
• Walk your dog instead of letting it out into the yard.
• Stretch for 10 minutes in the morning.
• Do 30 minutes of exercise 2 days a week.

The best way to make a change in your routine is to start small. Once the change has become a new habit, add one more change. The trick is to make this manageable, so one change at a time is the perfect goal.

Make A Long Term Goal

Goal setting is important for any change you plan to make. But remember, setting a lofty goal may lead to disappointment. Instead of deciding you're going to read 300 books in a year, make it your long term goal to read every night.

Some other examples of long term goals may be:

• Workout five times a week.
• Cook meals at home five times a week.
• Spend time with your family every day.
• Spend time with your friends every other weekend.
• Wear clothes other than sweatpants during the week.
• Be intimate with your partner twice a week.

Once you have your long term goal in mind, you can start making small changes to reach that goal.

Increase Changes One At A Time

You don't want to overwhelm your system, so make changes slowly, and one at a time. Remember, if you try to change everything about yourself, you'll probably be overwhelmed and find it hard to keep up with all the changes you made.

One of the best ways to make a change is to start small and slowly increase. The increasing part doesn't have to be time spent doing the activity in a single day, but could also be a longer goal of increasing the number of times you do something in a week or month.

If your change is to cook more meals at home, you can start with cooking two meals at home each week. Then the next month, you increase that time to three times each week, and so on.

You Control The Change

What ever your goal may be, always remember that you are in charge of the change. Change is happening all around you, but you are the only person who can make changes in your own life.

Of course there are always going to be things that happen that are outside of your control, but keep in mind that you are the master of your person.

Take control and be the change, one step at a time.