Hi guys , and welcome back to another episode of Change Wired Podcast , where we explore and learn the neuroscience , the psychology , productivity and health systems and habits of transformation , behavior design and how to unlock your next level in business , career , health , life , personal development , personal evolution , career , health , life , personal development , personal evolution . And my name is Angela Shurina . I'm an executive coach , culture and change leadership consultant and I'm here to help you , to help myself , rewire the way we change .
Let's dive in . Let me ask you a question . Let's start with a question . Today , they say questions are the best way to engage the brain .
Speaker 1Have you ever decided to completely overhaul your diet and your lifestyle , your health ? Wake up at 5 am , meditate daily , run five days a week with sugar , sleep eight hours a night and off starting Monday . Yeah , me too . It all changes tomorrow or on Monday or next month . Right , let me guess . By Thursday , if we even make it that far , we are back to ordering takeout or eating our favorite food , taking out or eating our favorite food , skipping workouts , eating our favorite dessert just one last time , hitting snooze five times , or we're deciding to work on our business and do 30 cold calls and 50 cold emails and by the third day we're either exhausted or just not doing it . Like this is not happening , I'm giving up .
Big change triggers big resistance . And it's not laziness , it's actually your brain doing its job . What's your brain's job ? Your brain's job is to keep you alive . And how does your brain do that ? It calculates energy balance , how much energy you spend , how much energy you get , and it tries to minimize the spending , because getting energy always requires work and , as far as evolution is concerned , we were never guaranteed to get that energy from food . When we try to change too much , too fast , we activate a part of the brain called amygdala , your brain's alarm system . It senses danger , not because change is bad , but because it's uncertain and might require a lot more energy . And the bigger the change , the bigger the uncertainty , the bigger the potential energy difference , which your brain does not like . Even positive change triggers fear if it's too big . In psychology this is called an amygdala hijack . It floods you with stress hormones , clouding rational thinking . You know , going for a walk is good , but suddenly your brain is like let's stay on the couch , let's watch some TV , eat something . It's safer here . And it has nothing to do with safety . It has to do with potential energy savings .
And this is where Kaizen method comes in . The word Kaizen comes from Japanese I actually learned it just a couple of days ago Comes from Japanese Kai means change and Zen means good . But the deeper philosophy and how it's used in the world is continuous improvement through small steps . This method was originally embraced after a second world war by Japanese manufacturing . Toyota famously embraced it and then there was like whole Toyota method . But then it was also adapted to human behavior .
Speaker 1So I finished a book yesterday by Dr Robert Moore , author of One Small Step Can Change your Life , and he used Kaizen in clinical psychology . He helped his patients to overcome major fears , from phobias to depression , by asking them to take tiny steps like walking in place during one commercial break , just one break , one minute . Why does this method work ? And works and will work Back to our brain ? Because small steps bypass the fear center . And the reason why they bypass the fear center ? Because the change is smaller and so perceived uncertainty is smaller and perceived potential energy change is smaller as well . So your amygdala is not triggered the way massive overhaul and I'm going to change my whole life does . It feels doable and it feels like you're not going to spend all that much energy and it builds trust with your brain
. Like not , a lot of things are changing , so we are okay . Let's bring this home to our lifestyle and health goals that we are usually talking about on our wellness Wednesdays .
Speaker 1So want to improve your nutrition , instead of trying to go on this crazy diet that's going to change everything . Ask yourself what is the smallest thing I can do better today about my nutrition , like a glass of water or one fruit , one batch with each of my meals always one meal . Want to improve your sleep ? Try turning off screens 15 minutes earlier and heading to bed 15 minutes earlier , or 10 . Or 5 . Not 2 hours , just 5 minutes . Want to start meditating ? One breath , yes , literally . Just try one deep inhale and exhale . Before you check your phone in the morning . Want to move more ? Or before heading out of the door , just take a deep morning . Want to move more ? Oh , before heading out of the door , just take a deep breath . Want to move more ? Tie your shoes . Just literally put your sports shoes on . Tie them , that's it , and your brain will often go . Well , since we've got our shoes on , might as well go for a walk . Here's the thing Small steps lead to big momentum .
Speaker 1It's kind of like this principle in investing you put in small amount and then small amount and then small , and then all of a sudden you want to put in more . Or even if you don't , it compounds and if it's in the right places it can even bring you percentages that you've never put in there . And some might say , but that's slow . But here is the very , very obvious truth that I learned and realized over the years in my personal life and career it feels slow , but the truth is it's faster than quitting doing something for two days and then never getting back to it . It's faster than starting over
. It's faster than doing nothing . Small steps build consistency . Consistency builds habits . Habits shape your new identity , and that identity that's what changes your life identity . And that identity that's what changes your life , that identity for which going for a run every day doesn't feel all that bad or big anymore .
Speaker 1So today my challenge for you is to ask yourself this one question often what's the smallest next step I can take toward my health goal ? Not the biggest , not change of my life kind of step , but the smallest that I cannot not do ? Then just do that . Let the habit sprout slowly , let the identity grow gently , not appearing like a butterfly from yesterday's worm , but instead sprout that you barely notice's worm , but instead sprout that you barely notice the growth . But it's happening . Transformation doesn't have to feel like trauma . It can feel like gentle movement , like taking one step .
Speaker 1So today , guys , again , whenever you're thinking about business goal , lifestyle goal , health goal , career goal , relationship goal , don't think about how can I change my life and change everything . Don't trigger your own brain's alarm system , which will not allow you to do the change , which will not allow you to do the change . Instead , ask yourself what is the smallest , tiniest step I can easily see myself doing every day and then do that and see , just experiment with it for the next
months . Just do the smallest thing and see what happens . I challenge you and I'm 100% certain that it's going to truly transform your life .
Speaker 1Thanks for tuning in to ChangeWire today , and if today's episode helped you rethink how you approach change your health , your career , your business , I'd love you to share it with someone , someone who might be stuck or burned out by go-be-go-go-home culture . If you're a leader attempting to transform your team , your business , culture , entire organization , or change the world , maybe it's time to ask of people to make smaller changes , not big and transformative one in one giant leap . And hey , if you want more tips on rewiring your behavior and becoming change-wired in health , relationships or leadership or life , make sure to stay tuned . Subscribe review rate so we could reach more ears and so I get the motivation to keep doing this Once more . At a time , guys , we can change ourselves , our friends , family , teams , organizations and the entire world . So stay changed , wired and ask yourself what's the smallest step I can take today towards my goal and then take it . Stay changed , wired and we'll talk very soon .