The Law of Incremental Upgrade

I've always tried to go 0 to 60 in life, moving from one extreme behaviour to the next (not exercising at all to exercising for an hour one day) ...

In order to create sustainable changes in our lives, however, it's important to take baby steps. Clearly, I know the feeling of just wanting to make substantial changes IMMEDIATELY, but this is how people burn out. It has taken me a long time to learn this lesson.

This came up in one of my recent Get Rich Lucky B*tch posts, where I recently tried to manifest a $2.2.-million lottery win ... without ever having manifested before. (It's something I've been working on more lately, but instead of going from 0 to 60 I still went from like 10 to 60.) Lesson was learned, and I'm taking my own advice ... and Denise Duffield-Thomas's:

"... when you commit only to making incremental upgrades, you can actually make the quantum leaps much quicker. That happens because you build a strong energetic foundation, so you're less likely to sabotage your success."

I have so many changes I want to make in my life, not just around money mindset specifically; recently, I've been craving a wardrobe makeover and a diet change (just to use a couple examples). If I were to, say, get rid of all my clothes and try to find new ones to fit my ideal style, plus go from carnivious to vegetarian, I wouldn't know where to begin ... and past Kaitlyn would've researched and researched (putting life on hold) so that she could go 0 to 60, then get overwhelmed with all the change happening at once, and thus go back to square one.

This law of incremental upgrade that Denise brings up is designed to be a lifelong process, and provides her readers with an upgrade plan:

#1- Think about what makes you feel poor

Who here has said something like "I'll do _____ when I'm rich" or "I'll have _____ when I'm rich"? If we're in a state of mind where we feel poor though, then that's how we'll be living our lives -- like we're "poor". It goes the opposite way too; if we act as though we're already "rich" (whatever the definition is for you), we will be in a better frame of mind and make more decisions that will aid in money manifestation.

So, Denise's first step is to write down everything in your life that makes you feel poor ... or, how she puts it, everything in your life that you will "no longer put up with" when you're rich. For example, having now lived in an apartment with no dishwasher for 7 months, the "rich" version of Kaitlyn will ONLY live in houses with ALL necessary appliances. (What I deem necessary -- I know a dishwasher isn't "necessary", it's a convenience.)

#2- Pick one thing to upgrade

As I mentioned earlier, taking baby steps and not trying to change EVERYTHING at once is crucial to the process. So, take a look at your list and choose ONE thing that could be upgraded. (And if there are multiple levels to the upgrade, just start at Level 1.)

My boyfriend and I aren't in a position (yet!) to own a home, but another thing I associate with being "rich" is getting my hair done more than once a year. This could be something simple for me to upgrade -- getting my hair done every 6 months, instead of 12. Maybe in a few years this gets upgraded again to every 4 months -- 3 times a year instead of 1!

Denise suggests if spending more money right now isn't an option, you can still start upgrading by wearing your favourite clothes more often (feeling richer on the outside). Or, upgrade your life in terms of TIME -- allowing yourself 10 extra minutes of alone time, for example.

#3- Repeat

This is a lifelong process -- not to say say that you will never reach your ideal, but you may reach your ideal and find that things have changed. (That's what personal development is all about: TRANSFORMATIONS!) So you will be be forever upgrading your life, in a way that is aligned with who you are at that present moment (not necessarily who you were when you started your journey).

Conclusion

Your first step right now is to make that list: What makes you feel poor? What will you no longer tolerate as a rich being? Don't stop once you found that one thing you want to upgrade first -- keep going until you're truly drawing a blank (you can always add more to the list later). Remember: This process of upgrading is for life now!

(Note: This is my fourth article relating to GET RICH LUCKY B*TCH. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other three: My Money Story; Designing My First-Class Life; and, Richer Than I Thought)