Processes of change in our lives

PROCESSES OF CHANGE IN OUR LIVES

People wish to introduce positive changes in their lives, to have healthy behaviors, but sometimes a kind of inertia or resistance seems take place

Victor Manuel Guzmán Villena

In the present times of the technological and scientific advances , an incessant search of new forms of life makes essential to us to use the instruments of learning and the education to produce positive changes in our lives, we have to cultivate this conviction to turn it into determination.

Then, the determination is transformed into action, a strong determination allows us to make a sustained effort to implement real changes. This is the decisive factor. For example, if you want to quit smoking, the first thing is to be aware that smoking is harmful to the body. Therefore, you must be educated. But often, that learning alone is not enough. You have to raise consciousness until that takes a firm conviction on the harmful effects of tobacco. That fortifies the determination to change. Finally, we must make an effort to establish new habits. That is the process of change

To the margin of the behavior that is tried to change, the goal towards which are directs the efforts, is needed to develop a strong will or desire to do so. Great enthusiasm is needed. Here the sense of urgency is a key factor that helps overcome the problems. For example, the knowledge about the serious effects of AIDS has created in many people the urgent need to change their sexual behaviour. Often, once the suitable information has been obtained, arises seriousness and commitment.

The sense of the perenne, not only helps to overcome personal problems, but also the communitarian ones. There are several techniques to generate this enthusiasm. We must discover the potential that we have within our body, the good intentions to which can serve, the benefits and advantages of having a human form, and so on. Those discussions install confidence in us, encourages us to use our bodies in a positive form and arises the necessity to live in a beneficially way all precious moments of our lives.

Therefore we must stop the apathy that affects us, the same that obeys to biological factors, therefore is necessary to change the lifestyle. For example, sleep enough, follow a healthy diet, deviate from the vices, and this helps us to maintain a more alert mind. But there is also another kind of apathy or laziness, which arises from the weakness of the mind.

To overcome this apathy and generate enthusiasm and commitment to change negative behaviors or mental states, I believe the most effective method and perhaps the only solution is to always be aware of the destructive effects of negative behavior. Perhaps is necessary repeatedly remind those effects. But often people want positive changes in their lives, have healthy behaviors, but sometimes a kind of inertia or resistance seems to take place.

Here is necessary to use the habit in our own benefit. By constantly familiarizing with new rules of behavior we can establish them like a definitive . For example, if a person is used to rising to certain hour and soon by necessity must sleep one hour less. At first will need effort to be accustomed, with elapse time will do it without no effort, this is due to the power of habit.

In the same way, we can surpass any negative behaviour and carry out positive changes in our life. But it is necessary to consider that the genuine change does not take place overnight. In my case if I compare the present state of mind with the one of twenty years ago, I observe a great difference. But I have come to that, step by step, developing deep appreciation for the philosophical and spiritual principles, that at first seemed to me almost unnatural. All it came to me through the gradual familiarisation. In the deepest of ourselves, the mental development requires time.

I have mentioned the necessity of a high level of enthusiasm and determination to transform the mind, to make positive changes. At the same time, nevertheless, we recognize that the true change occurs slowly and may require a long time, here we have to use restraint to achieve the objectives and not leave them.

And I reaffirm that the education is the first step to produce internal transformation. Although almost everybody recognizes, except the politicians, the importance of the education, usually we ignores the role of education like vital factor to reach the happiness. Research demonstrate that the higher level of academic education contributes to happiness. and it has been shown that the height education have beneficial echo in health and protects again depression. When trying to determine the reasons of these effects, the scientists have suggested, people better educated are more conscious of the factors of risk for the health; they are able to adopt measures in favor and increase self-esteem, have majors possibilities to solve problems and also they have more effective strategies for dealing with situations.

The following step is to generate decision and enthusiasm. The educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom studied the life of some prominent artists, athletes and scientists from United States and discovered that the impulse and the decision and no their natural talent, allowed them to succeed. Therefore, is possible to conclude those are also determining factors.

Another step is the human motivation, and identifies three main classes. First it is the primary motivation, impulse based on the needs to survive. Includes the needs of food, water, air, etc. Second group needs of stimulus and information, which for some investigators they are innate and take part in the maturation and functioning of the nervous system. Finally, we have the secondary motivations, derived from needs and acquired impulses. Many of them are related to the necessity of success and power, influenced by social forces and shaped by the learning.

But the impulse and the decision should not be use to look for the success in the profane world , but developed as a clearer understanding of the factors that lead to the true happiness and are used in the search for superiors goals, like the compassion and the spiritual growth.

The effort, is the last factor of change, and constitutes an element necessary to establish a new conditioning. The idea that we can change our behaviors and negative thoughts through a new conditioning is not only shared by psychologists, but constitutes the foundation of psychology conducts: the people have learned to being as they are, so that adopting new conditioning an ample range of problems can be solved.

Although science has revealed that the genetic predisposition of the person has a clear role in the responses of the individual before the world, many believe that good part of our behave, thinks and the way we feel is determined by learning and the conditioning we are in, that is to say, by education and the social and cultural forces. And since the behaviors are reinforced by the habit, the possibility is open to us of eradicating harmful conditioning and replacing it by a useful ones in our life.

To realise a continued effort to change the behavior not only is useful to overcome bad habits, but also to change our fundamental feelings. The experiments have demonstrated that as well as our attitudes determine our behavior, an idea commonly accepted, the behavior also can change our attitudes.