With 2025 just weeks away, it’s a great time to think about things you’d like to change in your daily life. Maybe you’d like to declutter or meditate or read more or connect more with your friends. As we all know, change is almost always accompanied by teeth gnashing, feet dragging & complaining…oh, the complaining. Our resistance often comes when we try to make changes that are bigger than our energy levels, our time availability, and perhaps, our courage. The key to overcoming this resistance is to make SMALL daily changes. My personal goal has been to reduce performance anxiety specifically at piano recitals. To jumpstart this change I’ve implemented several small daily tasks or “homework”, if you will, which over time will help me reach my goal. So, if you need a few ideas, here are three tiny changes for big impact in 2025!
Change #1: Start a daily gratitude practice.
Writing down three things that I’m grateful for every day has been part of my “homework” for reducing performance anxiety. While I was initially hesitant to believe that this would change anything…I can now truthfully say that yes, it is helpful! There’s something very calming about taking a few minutes every day to focus on what I appreciate. At first I thought I’d have difficulties coming up with things. I mean…you can’t say “I’m grateful for coffee” EVERY day! Well, maybe you can…but that’s not really the point! The crazy thing is that the longer I do this the more things I am able to come up with. And the research supports this phenomenon. By focusing on things we’re grateful for we start to rewire our brains for seeing the positives in daily life. This brain rewiring is due to changes in hormone levels – by focusing on things that make us happy & contended, cortisol (the stress chemical) is reduced & dopamine & serotonin (the feel-good chemicals) are increased. It’s like magic!
Change #2: Consciously unplug every day.
Note that the key word is “consciously”. We, of course, unplug when we sleep…but that’s not what I mean. Conscious unplugging is deliberately putting down your phone, turning off your TV, walking away from your computer and/or get rid of the headphones for a part of your day. Whether you decide to pick up an old-fashioned book (with real pages!), pull a few weeds in your garden, take a walk on the Greenbelt, call a friend on the phone, or just simply enjoy the downtime, the point is to remind yourself of what “quiet time” actually is. The best part is that time spent without distractions helps us calm down, relax, regroup & unwind. Give yourself this small gift & don’t be surprised if this becomes a non-negotiable part of your day!
Change #3: Compliment a stranger.
I was introduced to this one by my college-age daughter…and believe me, it’s a tough one. It’s especially difficult when everyone seems to be looking down at their phone screens (see Change #2!). But when I’ve done this, I’ve found it to be so rewarding! How do you do this? Well…you’ve just got to put yourself out there & do it! While the cashier is ringing up your holiday purchases, compliment them on how calmly they are dealing with all the shoppers. When you’re at the gym compliment a fellow gym-goer on their cool shoes. As you head into the office, compliment or better yet, thank the front desk person, the security guard and/or the cleaning person who you’ve never acknowledged before. Once you start doing it you’ll be amazed at how easy it is! It often helps me to remember that we’re all human & we all enjoy a short, positive interaction with another person. Do it & I promise it’ll bring a smile to their face & yours!
So, there you go, folks – three tiny changes for big impact in 2025! I know each one doesn’t seem like much. But that’s the point. The smaller changes are the ones that you are more likely to do on a consistent day-in-day-out basis. And as we all know…consistency has the biggest impact on creating successful change!
Happy Training,
Coach Michelle
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