There are often times when we want to change something about ourselves or our environment. Change, if it is positive, is a good thing because it means that we are growing and expanding ourselves. Changes also a way of keeping things fresh and making life less dreary. Change is also needed when life becomes difficult and you need to change something in order to make things easier again. Quite often change means an alteration or a modification of a bad habit so that we are able to prosper instead of be consumed by a habit that is negative.

In order to successfully make any modification in ourselves, we must make sure that we have the correct strategy. Change can either be hard or difficult, it greatly depends on how we go about it. In order to have an easier time with any personal modification, always make sure that you take the seven key components into close consideration:

Clear goal or objective; make sure that before you make any kind of change you make this goal or project as specific and as clear as possible. The more specific that you are the easier that it will be to meet your objectives.

Research; before you begin it is always a good idea to do as much research as possible on your intended goal. Here is where you find out what you need to achieve in order to make the changes that you want.

Action; before you begin you must also find out exactly what you need to do make this change possible.

Accountability; besides yourself, it is always a good idea to have someone else be witness to your efforts. If you can, tell a friend or a relative about your intentions, in this way you increase your personal motivation and you have a witness that can give you feedback on any successes or failures along the way. Make sure therefore that this person has your best interest in mind.

Feedback and modify; change takes time and as you progress during your modifying efforts, make sure that you routinely take time to check your progress and see how you are doing. You must do this on a regular basis because it is quite easy to get off track and the sooner that you realize this misalignment,  the easier that it will be to correct any mistakes. This is the time when you must look at your progress and ask yourself, is there anything that you need to change in order to make this goal more achievable?

Point of triumph; this is your 18th hole. This is the place that you reach where you will know that you have achieved the goal that you have set for yourself. This is a very important point because it’s the one that will let you know when you have made the kind of change that you intended. You must make this point of triumph as specific as possible so that it is very clear when you reach it.

A final point that I will mention and one that I highly recommend is that you reward your achievements. One way to do this is to make sure that you fully emotionally appreciate the accomplishment that you have made. Appreciation and strong emotional recognition of your accomplishments can be an incredibly powerful way to motivate yourself to make more change in the future and to make sure that the change that you have made is more permanent. You can also if you want treat yourself to a fine little reward as an appreciation for your find success. A treat like this can be a motivator and also a fine way to get you really excited about the possibility of change, and finally about your success in accomplishing your goal. Change can either be hard or easy, in order to make it easier and far more successful make sure that you keep the above key points in mind.