How often have you issued clear instructions to someone, only to find that they have heard completely different information? Last week I thought I'd told one of my children to begin their homework only to discover them sitting around 20 minutes later. When I asked why the task hadn't yet begun I was met with the response, "Oh, was that you being all tiger-mummish? I thought it was just an option". When I considered how on earth my clear as day instructions could have been so badly mangled, I realised what I'd actually said was, "Would you like to begin your homework now?"

Okay, rookie mistake on my part but when you're trying to bring change into your life it demonstrates the importance of really communicating with those people who want to help you. It's not enough to describe how you feel right now or what you want the far flung future to look like. The people closest to you will help you best when you give them the clearest instruction about what you need.

This week's task is to be explicit with the important people in your life about those health changes you would like to see in yourself. Find ways to make them understand and in the process you'll sharpen up your own idea of what you want to happen.

Tell us how you're getting on over at our Making Change Stick Facebook group.

#makingchangestick #communicationiskey