How many people have set goals for getting fit, eating well, and losing weight? We all know someone, and it’s possible that we ourselves were that person someday.
Many of us want better health and well-being — so that we can feel better about our bodies and our bodies.
That’s why health and well-being are at the top of the charts when it comes to New Year, birthday, and anniversary resolutions … almost every resolution you can think of starts with these! The top three solutions in 2022 were to increase physical activity, eat a healthy diet, and lose weight.
Still, only a minority achieves their goals. Many give up the resolution within a month, and most do not see it.
What if the reason why it’s so difficult to reach our own health goals has nothing to do with personal failure, but with the goals themselves?
Perhaps you It didn’t matter at all.
In almost a decade as a coach, I’ve noticed three major mistakes people make in setting goals, including self-care goals. Mistakes that lead people to self-destruction … and failures.
A happy person on a fitness trip does three things:
1. They understand that success cannot be tied to one particular goal.
The first big mistake is to make your goal the result you want to achieve.
Example: “I want to lose [insert number of] “Pound”, “I want to put skinny jeans behind the closet”, “I want to keep up with the kids” and so on.
That makes sense, right? Not all the points of your goal to get the results you want?
But when you set specific results or goals, you prepare for failure.
First, by linking success to results, you cannot feel success until the end of your journey. Until you lose weight or you can actually wear jeans.
You do all the hard work to reach your goals without a sense of accomplishment, which is one of the most powerful sources of motivation.
Second, every time you check in your progress, you’re not there yet. This allows you to focus on things that aren’t fit well yet or are still overweight. So you’re trying to get yourself doing all this work from a “not enough” place.
Isn’t it strange that you’re struggling to stay motivated?
Third, if you focus on a particular result, you may not be able to see other ways to achieve what you really want.
Imagine someone who wants to exercise more. Set a goal of going to the gym three times a week.
If something happens that prevents them from going to the gym, the goal will not be achieved. By focusing on the specific consequences of going to the gym, many other opportunities for healthy movement and exercise are all closed.
2. They take realistic actions.
When setting goals, you often want to see the results quickly.
So you immediately try to jump into big action. Maybe follow the example of someone who has been focusing on this kind of goal for a while.
When it feels too difficult or procrastinates, you believe it’s because you don’t have enough willpower …. it’s just not right!
Introducing lifestyle changes that require energy, the brain that has evolved to store energy automatically resists. People who take great action toward their goals are unlikely to succeed in the long run.
3. They celebrate victory and let go of what others may call “failure.”
Many people find it uncomfortable to ask others for help with their self-care and health goals. Maybe you feel self-conscious. You don’t want to impose on others.Or believe you need “hutzpah” And the willpower to achieve the goal by yourself.
Whatever the reason, achieving permanent change without the support of someone else is much more difficult.
Your heart-its inner voice that most of us have-may be really mean. It always distracts you and gives you all sorts of reasons and excuses for not following through.
Your existing routines and habits create inertia that is difficult to resist.
In addition, most people tend to focus negatively rather than celebrating victory, which undermines their own beliefs.
No matter how many good self-care choices you make during the day, focus on that one little slip-up (cookies you had with coffee or chocolates you had after dinner) and complete.
Make its external support essential to keep you motivated and persistent.
Three Ways to Start This Happier and More Balanced Path to Better Health
1. Replace the resulting goal with “Identity Goal”.
Set the goal of becoming someone who naturally experiences the results, rather than linking your success to the results. James Clear calls this the “goal of identity” in his book “Atomic Habits.”
When you practice the perspective of someone who is already enjoying the happiness you desire, and make choices, the results you desire develop more easily.
Imagine you are in a restaurant and face the choice of salad or french fries.
You know that a healthy choice is salad. You can choose the perspective of “I’m trying to lose weight, so I’ll have a salad.” Alternatively, you can select “I always make healthy choices, so I choose salads.”
When you identify yourself as a healthy choice-the second option-choosing a salad is a natural part of who you are. You don’t have to work hard or force yourself.
Identity goals also give you a satisfying sense of success every day. Every time you make a choice that matches your new identity, such as choosing a salad, you can reach your goals.
By giving yourself many daily opportunities to acknowledge your success, you are creating more momentum towards what you want.
Your first step is to ask yourself about the kind of person who is already enjoying the health and well-being you want. What do you think of that person? What choices do they make in their daily lives?
Set goals to begin practicing those thoughts and choices. You will reveal the health you desire more naturally and more easily.
2. Start with very small changes.
The secret to making lasting change is to develop habits. And the secret to building a habit is to start small — and I mean really small. Start with new options that are small enough to be easily done every day no matter what.
The secret to lasting happiness is to create habits that support your well-being. If healthy choice is a habit, you don’t need willpower. I feel that the selection is “automatic”.
Studies show that the smaller the change and the more often you practice, the faster you become a habit. For example, if you choose to drink water instead of juice or soft drinks, automation will begin in just three weeks.
3. Create your own support system.
Support yourself by noticing and celebrating every time you make a healthy choice, no matter how small.
This will strengthen your new identity as a healthy person in your mind and help you feel more motivated to continue making healthy choices.
We encourage you to register your friends, family, or accountable partners and keep going. Sharing your progress towards your goals once a week with your collaborative friends has been shown to significantly improve your success rate.
Finally, it is normal and natural for humans to sometimes “fall off the wagon”.
Remember that whenever you go back to the old pattern, it’s only part of the normal change process.
Be patient, let go of that moment, and take a small step towards sustaining health and well-being.
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Anna McKinley is a lifestyle and well-being coach, passionate about helping people enjoy greater happiness, happiness, and fulfillment. For more information, please visit Anna’s website or email us.
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