Kathyshawcoaching

A conversation I had with one of my clients recently really stayed with me 👇

We were talking about behaviour change and the frustration that comes when we know what would help us… but still struggle to do it consistently.

She said something I hear all the time:

“I think I just need more willpower.”

I think many of us have been taught to believe that. That if we were more disciplined, more motivated, more organised somehow everything would fall into place.

But over the years, both professionally and personally, I’ve realised something important:

Lasting change has very little to do with willpower.
And a lot more to do with design.

Because willpower is unreliable. It changes, depending on:
🔸 stress
🔸 sleep
🔸 hormones
🔸 emotional exhaustion
🔸 workload
🔸 decision fatigue

This is especially true for women juggling work, family, caregiving, leadership, and the mental load of caring for everyone else.

Often, the problem isn’t the person.
It’s the systems supporting them.

Small changes in design can make a huge difference:
▫️ booking things ahead of time
▫️ laying clothes out the night before
▫️ creating routines that remove friction
▫️ using visual reminders
▫️ asking for accountability instead of doing everything alone

It’s not about becoming perfect.
It’s about making the healthy choice easier 🧡

How are you feeling at the moment?

If you need a boost, tomorrow morning, try this 👇

First thing in the morning, write down what you want to believe today, i.e. ‘I believe that today is going to be a great day.’
- 𝘋𝘳 𝘑𝘪𝘮 𝘋𝘰𝘵𝘺

After you write this statement down, read it to yourself.
Then say it out loud 😊

If you do this over and over, you wake up every day and:

🔸 pick up the pencil
🔸 write down your affirmation
🔸 read it out loud

Through repetition, you are intentionally embedding this belief about yourself into your brain. This activates the different brain networks we have.

I'd love to know how you go - come back here and comment, or message me 💚