staying on track and being consistent
One of my top hacks for building confidence is setting and achieving goals - but sometimes that is easier said than done. The truth is, goal setting is the easy part! The shiny, hopeful , rose colored glasses moment when you decide you want something BIG feels awesome, but the work that is required to get you there is not so glamorous.
Does your goal setting process sound anything like this? You set a goal, write it down, take action for a few days and then you slowly fade away from the goal. A few months go by and you see your goal as you're cleaning your room and realize, "oh! I totally forgot about this...".
Or Monday morning you go IN, by Friday you're feeling burnt out, then you have yourself a weekend and start from square 1 on Monday with a little less mojo?
Maybe your goal is always in the back of your mind, but there is always something more important that has to get done and you never seem to find the time to work on it.
Being consistent is the 👏 hardest 👏 part 👏.
Whether it is a fitness goal, a project you've been wanting to complete, starting and completing a course, (writing blog posts, hello), or fitting in healthy meals, there are some key factors to help you stay on track and consistent. Today I'm sharing my top 5 tips to help you accomplish your goals and avoid burnout, distraction, and getting discouraged.
My Top 5 Tips
on being Consistent
Establish Your Why! If you have no passion behind what you are trying to accomplish, you will get distracted and you will fall off the bandwagon. It's simple. You need to realize why you are doing it, and it cannot be for someone else. For example, when I first began my weight loss journey, it was in response to the bullies who told me I wasn't enough. Every time I tried to workout, their mean comments would loop in my brain and during every workout I felt the pain of those words in my mind and my heart. The workout became associated with the negative thoughts, and as you can imagine they were not fun. So, I dropped off. Down the line when I realized I wanted to get healthier for ME, that's when things shifted. I realized I have one life to live, I had been spending it unhappy in my skin, and I want to feel better from the inside out - that's when I started getting lost in the challenge and really started to enjoy the process. To find your why, ask yourself questions like; -How will I feel when I work towards this goal? -What will accomplishing this goal mean to me? -What will this mean for my quality of life? -How will it feel if I don't work towards it? Once you find it, write it down somewhere you can see it. Near the mirror you look in every day, in your phone, on your desk. This way you can refer back to it when you need a little reminder when things get tough.
Make SMART Goals Set yourself up for success by making goals that are carefully planned, clear, and track-able. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based. S = Specific. Be as clear and specific as possible with what you want to achieve. The more narrow your goal, the more you’ll understand the steps necessary to achieve it. M = Measurable. How can you determine if you are making progress towards your goal? Example: I will do X thing 3 times a week for 2 months. A = Achievable. Setting goals you can reasonably accomplish within a certain timeframe will help keep you motivated and focused R = Relevant. Your goal should align with your larger, long-term goals. Ask yourself why the goal is important to you, how achieving it will help you and how it will contribute towards them. T = Time-Based. A due date helps you prioritize and find motivation. IDK about you but I work best when I have a deadline.
Have a Plan Break up your big goal into smaller goals. I don't know about you but nothing compares to the feeling of accomplishing a personal goal. Let's have more of that. Make lots of smaller goals and celebrate them! The smaller milestones will keep you checked in and feeling motivated to keep pushing to the bigger ones.
Find an Accountability Partner The times I accomplish my goals in the fastest amount of time is when I've invested in a coach that will get me there. If one of your fitness coaches or someone follow someone on social motivates the sh*t out of you and they offer a coaching program.... hellurrr invest in yourself. If they push you to be better with just their free content they put out into the world, imagine if you got a slice of that 1:1 consistently? Or, go in on some goals with a friend or a small group. Follow a training program or an app. Have a group chat and cheer each other on. Having people to celebrate your wins and pick you up when you stumble will make a huge difference. COMMUNITY is EVERYTHING! (ps that's why group fitness classes are so magical).
Forgive Yourself & Be OK With Failing Things don't always go to plan. In fact, usually they don't. You will come across road blocks, detours, and dead ends. That the part where your grit and determination come into play baby! If you get down on yourself for every stumble, the road to the top is going to be a lot longer, harder, and a lot less fun. Be OK with failing. Be OK when life gets in the way. Don't throw it all away and say "well I'll start again next week". Go back to your why. Keep starting where you are and keep pushing forward. Be relentless in your pursuit of what makes you happy. You got this babe!
