How to Make a Change That Sticks

Alcoholics Anonymous does that by telling members to acknowledge a higher power, Weight Watchers by telling customers to assign points to everything they eat and the Christian faith says to turn the other cheek. All are powerful ways to look at the world from a different perspective.

The third element is to repeat the process. Because we’re human, we usually don’t get things right the first time. We must go back to the fundamentals, continuing to address the relationship and reframe the situation until it starts to stick.

Why We Fail

Many don’t think twice about hiring a trainer to help them feel better and get into shape. But for some reason, we often balk at getting someone to help us when something is amiss in our careers. That’s a mistake.

Bill Bachrach, the renowned financial advisory business coach, notes that people often lack three things when they fail to reach their goals: a compelling vision, a concrete plan and the discipline to execute that plan.

There must be a big driver or a compelling “why” behind what you do, he says. Otherwise, it’s too easy to quit. As for the importance of having a plan, I often think about my trainer, who runs eight miles a day in just over an hour as part of his regime to stay in top physical condition.

Without putting in the work, day in day out, there’s no way he’d be able to run at that pace. The same premise applies to business, because without having the fortitude to bounce back when you get distracted or discouraged, lasting change is impossible.

Armed with these new tools — what it takes to change, what stops us from reaching our goals and a coach to keep me focused — I was able to change my practice. For me, that meant working with fewer, more profitable clients as well as revamping my software and processes to improve efficiency.

For others, it could mean incorporating a different set of changes altogether. What matters, however, is the changes you make aren’t nearly as important as learning how to make them stick. That’s what ultimately puts you in a position to succeed over the long term.

Greg Luken is founder and CEO of Luken Investment Analytics (www.lukeninvestmentanalytics.com), a turnkey quantitative research and asset management firm.