[Day 20] Whatever You Do, Don't Stop Now!
/Where Are We?
Well, we're here... two months into the year! Holy moly!
There's a good chance you've already accomplished some amazing things and have a some big plans and intentions for what's to come.
Let's check-in though.... is there any area of your life where you are "off track?"
Wherever you are, whether in your car, on the way to work, just about to lay your head down to sleep or on a break from work, take a moment and reflect...
PAUSE. THINK. EVALUATE > BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
Ok, hope you took that time. It's important.
The euphoric, hope-filled emotions that flood our minds at the start of the year are awesome. But they've likely faded by now.
Welcome to reality!
It's not always as forgiving as we'd like it to be.
What hasn't faded however?
Your goals.
Your plans.
Your pursuit of a better, happier and healthier life.
You might be thinking, man this is depressing? Why do we keep reading these motivational articles over and over again. Are we really that bad?
Nope, you're amazing. And it's my goal to continually reaffirm that in you.
But here's the kicker, getting to the end of our year or even to the end of our lives and thinking, "Dang, I really wish I would've done [insert amazing, totally attainable dream/goal/plan]" is just not acceptable around here.
Mistakes are fine. Setting big a$$ goals that are you don't fully attain... yup, that is awesome. Having circumstances come up that shift our course and prevent us from seeing a plan to fruition, that's normal and completely ok.
But what you are in control of, your daily habits and choices that set you up to succeed, get healthy and push through, that's where we aren't going to let you fall short.
It's entirely normal to lose motivation, so we likely aren't going to stop anytime soon spurring and cheering you on. You're worth the effort and we believe in you!
Why? Because if there's anyone out there who's not on track then they need to know this...
You don't have to start over, you don't have to reset, you just need to take another step forward.
Most importantly, you aren't the only one that's having trouble staying motivated all the time, or on track for that matter. But there are people, like us at Illuminate, who really do give a crap about you succeeding and being the best version of yourself. So we're not letting you willow away in self-pity and defeat. Nah, we're calling you to step up and grab your life by the horns!
So Quick Tip for Your Next Step Forward
[Takes 4 Minutes - You can do this now FYI]
- Jot down 6 things you need to get done tomorrow that will move you closer towards your primary health goal (e.g. losing x pounds, being able to bench press x pounds, running a 10k in June, eating 5 servings of vegetables, eating only a thumb-ful of fat at each meal) .
- Prioritize them from 1-6.
- Put a big, fat line through 2-6.
- Do everything in your power to get through list-item #1 tomorrow, as early as possible in the day.
- We advise you to celebrate doing 1 thing tomorrow as a MAJOR WIN!
- "...the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy – instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us."
[Adapted from Essentialism by Greg McKeown]
If you've been off track, then you need to get on track. What you DO NOT need to do is attempt to fix all your problems at once and overwhelm yourself. This is a recipe for failure and you're so going to crush your goal if you stick to simple, strategies that you can actually fit into your schedule. Just keep telling yourself that you're in this for the long-haul throwing out any ideas of a quick-fix!
And now you're re-motivated... stay awesome!