Setting yourself up to win

I have a confession to make.

This might not come as a surprise to many, given I haven’t really talked about it much here on the blog.

Deep breath.

I, uh, kinda, haven’t really exercised.

As in since THE START OF THE YEAR.

I also haven’t quit my job, read more books and completed my Food Safari adventure.

I thought I was being all responsible and shit by taping my goals to the wall and announcing them to the world to see. But the reality has been a little different to what I envisioned for this year.

Fast forward – my inspiration board sits propped behind my computer monitor, I haven’t REALLY achieved much on my list and I still feel as lost as I did all those months ago.

Mistake #1 – I forgot that life gets in the way.

OR – shit happens.

Meaning that you can’t EVER plan for everything, despite your many goals and desires. I am happy that I have them there, but if there is anything the last few months have shown me, it’s that life keeps going and things get shuffled around.

Bigger priorities come into play and the little things don’t seem to matter so much anymore.

I’ve been feeling that same restlessness I had at the start of the year – difference is the level of optimism and motivation.

Yesterday, Evs and I went down to the shops to run some errands. Before we embarked on a whirlwind of things, we sat in a little cafe, coffees in hand and an almond croissant between us.

I told him that I was feeling, for lack of better word, blah.

I told him that I don’t feel like I have an aim in life.

And he told me something, which made me realise why I married this guy in the first place.

He said –  “You have been so focused on one path, on something that doesn’t even make you happy anymore. You have so many other options there – look around and do what makes you happy”.

Perhaps I got a little goal-happy with my inspiration board – not saying I don’t WANT to achieve everything I have there – I just think I need to redefine them a little.

Open my mind up to other possibilities.

Achieving goals is HARD. It takes patience and self-discipline – two things I struggle with constantly.

But sometimes to achieve these goals, I think it’s totally ok to step back and realise when things aren’t going to plan. To change direction slightly or to refocus your energy to keep that internal motivation going.

I have a few simple steps to help me refocus:

• Revisit your goals and break them down into smaller more achievable tasks – Every little action or choice brings you that one step closer to your goal.
• Stop procrastinating – Quite funny since one of my goals WAS to stop procrastinating. Epic #FAIL. Just get started – making that first step will get you set in the right direction and create a momentum to keep you going forward. Often, it’s the first step that is the hardest to do. If it’s fitness related for example – make a deal – “Just do 15 mins”. More often than now, you will find that those 10 minutes will fly by and you can keep going. If you do the 15 minutes – then you have done what you promised in the first place. Win-win.
• Keep track of your progress – I am guilty of letting my goals slide and before I knew it, a few months had passed by and I had barely done anything. Having regular monitoring will keep you focused and moving in the right direction.
• Reward yourself – set milestones and then incentives to reach them. I feel like it really helps to have that tangible reward to keep you going – for me, it could be spending money on new workout gear at Lululemon without feeling guilty or a trip to the salon. Find your sweet spot and WORK for it. It’ll make that reward  feel even more well deserved.

So here is what I am going to do.

Focus on the now, the things I can do RIGHT NOW and not worry about the future.

So for me this means:

• Getting off my butt and into the gym. I have a membership languishing and it makes me feel so guilty with the waste. I’m going to sign up for a few races to keep myself accountable and give myself something to strive for. GO TO YOGA. Just MOVE.
• Blog more. Write, make the time to write and develop this blog. Do it because it makes me happy.
• Spend time with family and friends. My mother is still recovering and because I live so close, I know I can help her more. This also means helping my little brother out as well.
• Don’t stress about work – do what I can, but know that I have other paths in life.
• Be happy. Smile. Eat chocolate. Run outside.

 

Keeping it simple.

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Have you ever refocused your goals or made new ones? How do you keep yourself motivated – share!

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Tags: balance, finding time, goal setting, goals, healthy living, success, trying new things