Your friends have done It.
Your family has done It.
Hell, you may have done It.
Someone starts on a new journey, makes It for the first few steps, then falls off.
It takes a special person/situation to stick with something, especially something that requires time, effort, and energy every single day. So what does It really take?
1.) A Plan
Without a plan we feel lost. Once we feel lost, we slowly veer away from our original path making It too hard to get back on track. We need a plan to keep us moving forward in the right direction.
This does not mean your original plan will be the end all be all for the rest of your life. Circumstances change, goals change, YOU change, and your plans will change along the way.
You have your goals, now create a roadmap of how you are going to get there. What needs to get done, how do you plan on getting from point A to point B? If you just set a goal to lose 15lbs, put down the plan!
I am going to walk everyday before work
I need to eat more fruits and vegetables packaged sweets
I am going to start lifting weights 2x per week
I need to work on getting longer, more quality sleep each night
2.) Resiliency
If you don’t have this quality, you need to learn It quick. This is our ability to recover and keep pushing forward when setbacks happen. And setbacks WILL happen, but letting every bump in the road halt your progress is unnecessary.
Be prepared for setbacks to happen, work through them, and KEEP GOING.
If you never quit on your goals then you can never fail. I rear this quote back to myself at least once per week. Things don’t always go our way, but success will come to those who never quit.
3.) Support
Going on these journeys alone is not an easy feat. Who do you talk to when things get tough, when you have questions, when you want to quit? Your own mind and voice is very biased especially with the circumstances you are going through. Sometimes we need an outside voice or some empathy to keep us going.
Having people on your side can make all the difference. Whether that is a spouse on board with your journey, a friend going through It with you, or a parent willing to talk you through the tough times.
We could all use someone in our corner.
4.) Enjoyment
The best plan is the one that you will actually follow. Finding some enjoyment in the work you are putting in can keep that fire burning a lot longer than dragging yourself to do things you hate.
So find the things that you have some fun doing, and enjoy the process of getting better at things maybe you didn’t enjoy too much when you first started. Finding a place where you can enjoy the process is the ultimate goal.
It gives us another reason to get up and want to do the work, away from wanting to hit our goals. Find that place!
In good health,
Jeff
