Goal-Setting Tip
Sometimes we get really motivated when we start to plan out our lives and set goals. Whether that's eating healthy, hitting the gym, or staying on a consistent reading plan, it's easy to start out super motivated but find it harder and harder to continue with a habit the longer we go.
So how do we stay consistent?
One major factor in sticking with a habit to achieve your goal is whether it's really your goal or not. How do you discern between the two?
Write it down!
Writing down your goals can be a powerful exercise, especially if you keep some kind of score. As you write out the different ideas you have for your goals and how to achieve them, really pay attention to how it feels adding it to your list.
If there is something on your list that you're not very excited for then it could be that it's actually a "should goal". A "should goal" or a goal is something that someone else expects of you or you expected yourself, but you're not really into it anymore.
It could also be that it's a goal that you already know you're going to hit and it's just on your list because you're expecting to hit it.
Remember, you are allowed to change. Challenge yourself and adjust as needed. It's okay for something to come off the list if it's not really a good fit.
Tiny habits
Another reason you might not be feeling so motivated to keep going after a few weeks of consistent grinding towards your goal...
you haven't broken it down into smaller, measurable, or actionable steps. If your goal is to lose ten pounds in two months and you've been getting up early, sweating for an hour four days a week, once you get to week three and you've lost just two pounds, you'll probably want to quit.
Why? Because we measure success by whether or not we've reached the goal. But in reality, there are tiny little habits that we can track that will take us to our goals. If we stay consistent in these tiny habits, we'll reach the big goal.
Instead of obsessing over the end result, focus on the habits needed, how you want to show up, and who you need to become, in order to achieve your goals.
For example, if your goal is to lose ten pounds, maybe start with smaller habits that will promote your goal. You could set out your workout clothes next to your bed each night so that when you wake up you're cued to workout.
You can stack this small habit onto a habit you've already got. What's one thing you already do every night? Brush your teeth, right? Okay, so in order to add in another new habit - setting out your workout clothes - you can stack this on top of your already existing habit - brushing your teeth.
Stacking your new habits onto already existing habits will help you stay more consistent.
And remember:
"What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while." - Gretchen Rubin
