So everyone in the community of Israel left the presence of Moses. Then they came back, every one whose heart was roused, whose spirit was freely responsive, bringing offerings to God for building the Tent of Meeting, furnishing it for worship and making the holy vestments. Exodus 35:20 (TM)

I was providing some client training last week and I talked about developing new habits. I was talking to my trainees about developing new habits of what you say and how you say it on the phone when they are providing Customer Service, but the principles are applicable across almost any behavior you wish to change – any habit you wish to develop.

Having done some cursory research  on the subject, I learned that our brains are hard-wired against change. The brain settles into patterns of behavior and we become set in our ways. Experts tell us, when we’re looking to turn over a new leaf, that we should act quickly. The brain needs to be given a jolt, telling it that we’re breaking out of old patterns and doing something new. The sooner you respond to your intentions the more likely that you’ll be successful in long-term change. The longer you delay, the more likely that your desired behavior change will become another in a long line of forgotten good intentions and New Year’s resolutions.

The community of Israel heard their marching orders through Moses, and immediately responded by springing into action. Want to get more organized? Time to start exercising? Do you intend to change your eating habits and lost that weight? Do you need to quit smoking? Is it time to look for a new job?

Do you know what you need to do? So what?

What are you going to do about it?

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and lizhenry