Make It Happen.

In last week’s Business Health Strategy entry we discussed a simple, yet profound act. It seems natural, but unfortunately it is not. The title and subject was: Think about it. One would think that a thought would come easily, but when you look at our biggest problems in health and healthcare, the act of thinking about it is what we often go without.

See Feb. entry http://businesshealthstrategy.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-about-it.html for more detail on this and how it also applies to you as an individual.

Thinking about it is very important for businesses and for each of us as individuals. We need to know there is an issue, understand our best option to change the issue. In health and in business, we are missing this step. Believe it or not the next step would be even easier if we just took the time to think about the big picture.

What is the big picture? We discuss it often. It is the fact that as a society, our health is declining and our healthcare system is in trouble. It doesn’t have to be. By thinking about it, the solution is clear and much less difficult than you think it is. Our health is in our hands and we can change our lives if we want to.

It is important to understand the options. It starts when you are able to think about what you want and how you want to live. What is more important? Doing something about it is the next step. As a person and professional, I know what it takes to make a personal, business and family schedule work. As I help businesses with their employee health concerns, I continue to learn more about people and the challenges they go through. We are all dealing with similar issues. We may live in different places with different people around us, but we all have the same amount of time in the day. Last I checked, the day was 24 hours long for everyone.

The biggest barrier is what we already discussed: thinking about it and realizing that they can change the way they do things. Deciding you want to take control of your health is important, but actually taking the steps is what will bring the new results they are looking for. We often get caught up in the thought that we’ve never done it before, it’s been a long time or we don’t know where to start. This can make it seem very difficult, when in fact, once we start the process by taking the first step, other steps reveal themselves and it becomes easier as we go. In other words, the next step is action. Now that you’ve thought about it, it is time to make it happen. It can be done if you are willing to do it.

What does that take? It depends on your goals. If your goal is to be smoke-free, than you need to start with a timeline and look at places you can reduce your smoking. If you are looking to get more active, take a look at what activities you like to do and when you can do them. As long as you act according to your priorities, you will make progress.

Making it happen may seem difficult at first. The beauty of this step is that by thinking about it first, you really set yourself up to be in a better position to act. Basically, making it happen is not as difficult as it seems once you know what you want to do.

Now that you’ve thought about what you want your health to look like and what changes need to be made, you are ready to start putting your plan in motion. Once the plan is in motion, you are already going. The hardest part is getting started, but once you have, all you have to do is continue. Just keep going and you will succeed. Make it happen.