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How are your resolutions coming along so far this year? Have you quit already? Did you run out of motivation to keep you going? Was it that party you had to go to that threw you off your diet plan? What about a family emergency that kept you from some tasks you needed to get done to continue with a goal?
Guess what, motivation runs out. It’s a temporary thing that can get you started but it doesn’t make you stick to it. For anything to become a habit it takes 21 days, I’m sure you have heard that before. So what you really need to do is take that motivation you had, start again and mark off the days on the calendar until you reach day 21. Once you do, what you started should be a habit that you don’t want to stop or change.
I’ve heard it many times, “I’m no longer going to the gym because I just had no motivation to go,” “I slipped up on my diet when I went to a party and just didn’t have the motivation to go back on it,” or “I had a goal to complete that book but there are other things that were more important to deal with so I didn’t have the motivation to start up again.” Have you ever said something similar? Was it this month in fact?
Let’s take those things you wanted to accomplish this year and start again. This time not only have a plan of action for those goals but also have another one for when challenges happen and how you will handle them so that you keep moving forward.
You did make a plan, correct? If you want to lose weight and stick to a diet, you have to have a plan. A food plan and an exercise plan. You do realize that shooting from the hip day in and day out isn’t getting you anywhere you really want to go. Perhaps you aren’t feeling the motivation to start over now. That’s okay; let’s figure out why you were motivated to do it in the first place.
Do you want to be smaller for a wedding, reunion, and vacation? Still a good reason and you still have time to work towards your goal. Do you want to have a healthier body and prevent illnesses that run in your family? That’s a very good reason to continue on. The reason you started in the first place is still there. Take a moment and write down the reason you wanted to accomplish the things on your list this year. Post them where you can see them daily and that will help with the motivation part to get you started again.
Review your plan and see where you slipped up. Was it because of Mom’s birthday party? Did you have a plan for events that come up? No? Well, there you go, you just need to devise a plan for events and how you are going to handle them. Eat before you go or allow yourself to just not stick to your diet for that one event. It’s one meal that day, not all three. Be smart with your choices and you will be able to stick to your plan.
Were you sore from being at the gym and it’s making it hard to function each day. Are you pushing to quickly and are constantly sore? Back off just a little so you can continue with your day without the pain that makes you want to quit. The first two weeks of any workout routine is going to make you sore. You may even need a bit more sleep. Plan for it and you will be able to get through it.
The key here is to stick to something past the 21 days. You will be amazed at how the small changes you have made will slowly begin to become a habit that you want to do. This holds true for becoming organized and getting in the routine of putting things in their place each day. This is also true for sticking to a new schedule and adjusting your life when things come up to incorporate everything you have to do in that week and getting it done.
Small changes to your life become habits. They start with a motivation to begin and being consistent and self-disciplined to push ahead even when the motivation runs out. Before you know it the change you just made will become a new habit in your life and you will be glad you stuck it out so that it did.
What are you waiting for, start again on those goals you made and this time stick to it to make them happen? Keep that list of why you want to do that goal to keep you consistent and disciplined each day to continue on even when the motivation runs out. Be kind to yourself, as we all stumble and fall, get back up and move forward yet again and life will become what you want it to be if you keep pressing on. Turn that new habit into something life changing for you.
Have a blessed week!