EDIT: I modified how I present the Method slightly. Please see the new version of this page and the updated series on implementing the Method.
Having conceived of new environments, beliefs, and behaviors consistent with each other, the emotions you want, and what you will, won’t, can, and can’t do, the next step is to create and implement them.
Creating and implementing them means more than just doing some simple task. It means creating a lifestyle for yourself based on your emotional cycles, which you learned about in the first two steps. That is, choosing your environment means choosing whom you spend time with, where you work, where you live, and so on. Choosing your behavior could mean changing your wardrobe, your hobbies, you physical condition. Choosing your beliefs could require you to think a lot, sometimes unpleasant thoughts.
If, for example, you want to get in shape, you may choose to exercise regularly and eat less processed food (behavior), hang out more with fit friends and go to the gym (environment), and start to think of yourself as someone who likes working out and having a fit body, that since other people can get fit so can you, crowding out beliefs that you can’t or that you aren’t worth it (belief). Changing only one or two things won’t get you the results of changing all three and may worsen your situation long-term if you don’t succeed.
For short-term transformations, you can do everything in under an hour, as in my home run after three strikes example.
For longer-term changes or ones affecting more parts of your life, choosing your friends, where you work, your hobbies, and so on, can take some time if you want to change them all significantly. Don’t assume they have to though. Some dramatic changes happen overnight.
Also, some changes may require significant emotional investment or challenges. I’ll post later about obstacles and blocks and how to get past them. Even when you know exactly what you want to do and how, emotional challenges discouraging you can slow you down or stop you. I first recommend starting with simpler transformations and work your way up to harder ones, but find my future posts on obstacles and blocks for more advice.
After a few transformations, the elements of the Model will all be synchronized and the process will become rewarding and bring you the emotions you want. Eventually you’ll have a new attitude on life.
I recommend overexperiencing reward. If something goes your way, enjoy things working out. Share with people that it works and you enjoy it. They will respond by sharing with you things that bring out more enjoyment and not sharing things that bring emotions they don’t want.
I recommend downplaying feelings of emotional punishment. After a few transformations you’ll come to look forward to these feelings as signs you are making progress on something significant. On early transformations, you’ll find inertia and you’ll second-guess yourself at first. Self-doubt always occurs, so you can expect it instead of dreading when it comes. A strategy that works for me when faced with self-doubt is to think of the belief that “this too shall pass” and to conjure up feelings of reward for some recent incident.
If you want to change more effectively, create accountability for yourself. Bring a friend, mentor, or whomever into the project with you and ask them to keep apprised of your situation.