If you are ready to make a big decision, make a pen, paper and a calendar and respond to these newspapers from our experts.
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In 2011, Victor Saad, a high school teacher, decided that he wanted a new career.
At first, he planned to obtain an MBA. But when he thought about what he really wanted – credibility in the field and job opportunities – he started to “think of other paths to get there,” he said.
So Saad had a new idea. Each month in 2012, he would shade a different commercial project that inspired him, from a creative studio in San Diego to a social clothing company socially aware in China.
This kind of creative thinking can help any radical change in life, whether it is a different job or to move to a new country. And there are exercises that can help you make these decisions, explains Art Markman, professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and author of the book Intelligent change.
The key is to be curious, says Markman. “It opens up the perspective that life could be much more interesting than you have considered.”
As for Saad, his “jump birthday”, as he called him, led to a fascinating new job. He launched Experience Institute, an organization that leads people through great jumps in life, professionals or others.
If you are ready to make a big decision, make a pen, a notebook and a calendar and respond to these Journal prompts from our experts.
1. Boison of ways to achieve your goal with the “two lines” exercise
Victor Saad developed the exercise of “two lines” for the Institute of Experience. The exercise can help you generate the beginnings of a roadmap to your goal, says Saad.
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To get a more concrete idea of your goal and the path you will need to take to achieve this, Saad suggests starting with the “two lines” exercise, which he developed for the Institute of Experience.
On the left side of the left line, write where you are today. On the right side of the right line, write where you hope to be. Leave the column of the empty middle – you will get there later.
On the left side, you could write: “I would like to have a creative jostling.” On the right side, you could write: “Run a successful personalized ceramic store online.”
In the column of the center, note all the ideas on how to reach your goal. For example: “Find a local ceramic studio”, “Build Up Inventory”, “Work with a designer to create a logo”, “Create social media accounts for my business”, “Start selling in craft fairs to broadcast my products”.
The list you find should give you the beginnings of a roadmap to your goal, says Saad.
2. Uncheck the “20 declarations test”
The “20 declarations test” can help you reinvent the way you see yourself, explains Art Markman, professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and author of the book Smart change.
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The way you see yourself can affect your ability to make major life decisions, says Markman. For example, if you have always considered yourself opposed to the risk or hesitant to try new things, you can be more nervous, let’s finally say a family or move to Paris as you have always dreamed.
But what happens if you only look at your personality from a very narrow perspective?
One way to complete the way you see yourself is to try the “20 declarations test,” says Markman. Developed by psychologists in the 1950s, the test measures the concept of self, or the beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of an individual.
It can also help you reinvent yourself, says Markman. “We can decide for ourselves what things are really intrinsic to whom we think we are and which are not.”
On a sheet of paper, write the question “Who am I?” At the top of the page. Then write 20 answers to this question. You could write, “Midwesterner”, “Dog Mom”, “Garden”, “Intelligent”, “Loyal”, “Community oriented”, “Practical”, “Well to understand things”.
Then look at your list of words. Can you use one of your other traits to counter those who might hold you?
Maybe one of your descriptors is “shy”, but another is “reliable”. So, if you want to join a new social activity, rather than considering yourself too shy to try it, maybe you rely on your ability to continue to present yourself for the things that matter for you.
3. Choose a date on your calendar to stimulate “the fresh starting effect”
When you create a symbolic date to start a new behavior, it can stimulate your motivation and your feeling of optimism.
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If you are ready, take your calendar and look for a date to launch your big life change, explains Markman. He can align with major holidays, such as New Year’s Day or the Spring Equinox; A day of personal meaning for you, like your birthday or the five -year bar that you have experienced in your city; Or a break in your schedule, such as free time between jobs.
When you create a symbolic date to start a new behavior, it can stimulate your motivation and your feeling of optimism. Behavior scientists call this phenomenon “the fresh starting effect”.
“When you create a break in the calendar, it provides two things: an opportunity to think about being different in the future and a point of view to look back,” said Markman.
These two perspectives are important, he said. Dating from the Roman era, the symbol of the beginning of the year is the god Janus, who is often represented with one head facing the front and the other face.
So before diving into the future, think about what happened until your new start. This will give you the best chances of success.
The episode of the podcast was produced by Sylvie Douglis. Digital history has been published by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We would be delighted to hear you. Leave us a voice message at 202-216-9823, or send us an email to Lifekit@npr.org.
Listen to the life kit on Apple podcasts And Spotifyand register for our bulletin. Follow us on Instagram: @NPrlifekit.
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