Maybe you lack direction. Maybe you were discouraged by your slow progress in the past. Maybe you keep telling yourself that it won’t work. These thoughts are keeping you in this negative loop, but you don't have to stay there.
You can take the first step over to the success cycle by defining your goals. Write down your specific vision of what you want to accomplish. Don’t set goals based off of what other people are achieving. Your goals MUST be true to you. It may be helpful to ask yourself “why is this goal important to me?”.
Only after your goals have been clearly defined can you create an action plan. This step is especially important for long term goals. Write down the specific steps you need to take to reach your goal and remember to celebrate the small victories when you can cross one off as completed. If your goal is too big and seems unattainable, break it down into smaller parts.
Habit building is the hardest part. Some days will be easier than others, but you need to be persistent. Your action plan should be like brushing your teeth. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t sleep well, or if it’s cold and rainy outside, or if you’re running late, you don’t even think about not brushing your teeth because it’s just something you do. (hopefully). Work so persistently that your action plan just becomes something you do without having to get motivated to do it. Set reminders or build in time slots on your schedule to work on your action plan if needed.
How can failure be on the success cycle? You can plan on it happening several times between setting your goals and reaching them. Failure is inevitable, but what matters is how you deal with it. When you recognize a failure, immediately assess what you’ve learned and move forward quickly towards the next objective, so you don’t derail your whole action plan.
None of this is easy and you will likely need help along the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out when you need assistance. For those of you with health and fitness goals that you haven’t reached in the past, give us a call so we can help get you on the right path.