The 5% Statement

this blog is not about losing stuff. it is about gaining stuff, such as purpose and passion. you have to have a compelling purpose to let go of stuff. like if you are about to fall off a high cliff, you would have a strong reason to let go of your favorite tea pot so that you could use that hand to grab the rope which could save your life. no one wants to let go of comfort. even if that comfort comes in the form of being to fat or having too much stuff or even too much money. but when you realize your life depends on it, it makes it a lot easier to make that choice. to make the transition.

if you really want to make lasting change in you life, and have made dramatic resolutions geared to improve it, and yet feel like you have already failed at those new resolutions consider this from zenhabits.net:

Sometimes, the best way to find a purpose in life is to go out there and take action, even if we don’t know what we are doing!

My favorite tool at this stage is the 5% statement, created by Nathaniel Branden, who is widely considered to be the father of the self-esteem movement. It works by allowing you to take steps in small increments. Trying to change completely overnight, as some might suggest, often creates fear, uncertainty, and resistance.

A 5% statement is split into 2 halves. Examples would be:

If I were to be 5% more responsible today, I would ___________.
If I were to be 5% less lazy today, I would ___________.

The first part of the statement doesn’t have to change. But every morning when we wake up, we think of something that fills in blank, and then do it! As you can see, 5% is small and harmless enough to let us overcome our fears and procrastination. Being flexible enough to do different things everyday in pursuit of the same goal also keeps us from boredom and routine. Even better, it encourages us to think of new ideas to try (although we can simply do the same activity 5% more each time).

You can use this for anything you plan to do – begin a new exercise routine, reduce procrastination, improve your workflow, or even your personal relationships. And if 5% seems too little, don’t worry – it builds up rather beautifully.

read the whole article here: http://zenhabits.net/passion-and-purpose-in-life/