Studies of psychotherapy outcome suggest that while some clients demonstrate real improvement, many others do not.  This is expensive treatment with professionals trained in human behavior change!  And self-directed behavior change doesn't fare any better.  Scan the psychology and self-help sections of bookstores and you'd be convinced that a lot of people are buying a lot of these books.  And you'd be right - but are they reading the books or listening to the audio programs or making use of any of this change-oriented information?  Surveys on the topic suggest that as few as 20% of these purchasers finish the material. 

And your own experience backs this up.  Abandoned diet regimens, neglected books on relationship improvement, dusty treadmills cluttered with laundry and stacks of mail - all damning evidence of our ambivalence about change. 

But the good news is that some people do change.  We all know people who have given up smoking, who have lost weight and kept the weight off, who have finally gotten out of a dead-end romantic tangle.  We know people who have gotten to where we want to be.  How'd they do that?  What do we know about successful changers?

How'd I Get Here?

Most behavior problems start small.  It takes baby-steps to really wreck a relationship with someone you supervise at work.  And nobody gets really out of shape all at once.  To get to that (really bad) place, It takes commitment to daily choices made over and over.

And from the One JND perspective, that's how positive behavior change happens, too.

Who Notices?

What we're asking here is:  What could I do now what would make one just-noticeable difference?  Somebody's got to notice in order for the change to qualify as a noticeable difference. 

So if you moved just one step closer to your objective, how would you know?  What would you notice?  And what would the people around you notice, exactly?  What would it look like or sound like or feel like, this one JND?

Remember, the One JND approach is not about making such massive change that you would scare away your co-workers or your partner.  Rather, you're looking for the type of changes that would lead to you and others "just noticing."   An incremental, observable, and positive difference. 

What It Is and What It's Not. 

This is not a 7-step plan or a 30-day makeover.  It's an orientation to your time and energy, a way of thinking about the choices you make in using these resources.

Making some generous assumptions about your age and life expectancy, you might calculate that you've got about 235,000 waking hours left.  And right now you are moving closer to, or farther away from, your most important objectives.  The things you're here to do and be and experience.

If all of this sounds dire, relax.  It's okay to be where we are right now.  And you knew that already - some of your most cherished goals have been banging around in your head for years already.  This is not an emergency, and it doesn't have to get done in 7 steps or 30 days. 

Why One JND?

• Because it's manageable
• Because you can
• Because you're busy
• Because if you're like most people, you've probably started self-improvement projects before, and you had trouble with the follow through. What we're doing here is avoiding biting off more than you can chew.
• Because it's the way behavior change really happens

So I Can Do, Be, and Have Anything I Want?

Yep.  But not all of it.  And not all at once.  You can have the experience of being a large-dog owner, and that will limit some of your other choices.  You can travel the world and have relationships with mysterious strangers.  But that may preclude a settled-down married life and may prevent you from having the experience, at least right now, of being a parent. 

So in 2011 the approach is this:  Consider the goals you're most passionate about.  And start taking One JND steps towards those.

When to Change?

You'll change when you're good and ready.  In fact your first piece of work is getting yourself good and ready.  You might check out the Stages of Change model (google "Prochaska" and "DiClemente") to consider how to move yourself along the continuum of motivation, or preparedness to take action.

What to Change?

If you're like most bright, healthy, active people with good friends and family, you've had a head full of dreams - things you'd like to do or to have or to accomplish - for a long time.  There's a right time for each of those dreams, or for most of them.  Which ones are right for you, right now?  A quick survey of your life situation might reveal several important areas where significant change is needed.  Take advantage of your intuition, or "going with your gut."  And consider consulting with others you trust.

Why Change?

Maybe we should have started with this question.  A common criticism of self-improvement programs is the implicit message that we're not good enough just as we are right now. 

But as soon as you've read that last sentence, that moment - that "right now" - is gone.  You've moved, and I've moved.  You've made a mental connection and got just a bit wiser.  Maybe I've gotten a bit more energized, or tired, or become aware that I'm hungry.  But we're not the same because nothing stays the same.  So...you can't not change.  Despite all the advice scribbled in my high school yearbooks that I should "never change," I just keep changing.

The moral imperative of the One JND Way is to take responsibility and ownership of that change, and to direct it according to our most cherished values. 

Alright, some examples...

Taking the One JND Approach to Health Behaviors

You're already well aware of the sinking guilty feeling associated with setting up exercise or nutrition goals, only to fall off the wagon.  Again.  What if you did it differently? 

• Exercise - not ready to commit to a 1-hour workout 3 times a week?  No problem.  What could you do to get one JND more active?  For example, could you commit to using the stairs (rather than the elevator) for errands one flight above you or two flights below you?  Or could you use a bathroom on the far side of the building rather than a more convenient location?
• Nutrition -What part of your diet needs the most immediate attention?  In your judgment, do you eat too many sweets, drink too much soda?  Do you go for 2 or more days without a fresh vegetable?  Have processed convenience foods dumped too much sodium in your diet (and your body)? 

One JND Improvement in Your Relationships

The best gift you can give to someone you love is this:  Reflect back to them the best and highest image they privately hold of themselves.  Figure out what that image is and you're in.  Develop an awareness of others' key values and commit to increasing the frequency of those experiences.