It’s June. That’s half way through the year and I still feel stuck; like I’m not getting anywhere.
What happened to the last six months? I keep planning, plotting and talking to myself about REALLY getting on the road to better habits. For real. Finally. Consistently. Then months just seem to skip past.
It’s tempting to write the year off. I’ve already lost six months and not achieved all I wanted. But no, I think as I take myself in hand. Six months down means I have six MORE months to kick some weight loss butt. Or just some weight off my own butt.
What am I waiting for? If nothing else, I have half a year to start small. Not continue to scare the hell out of myself with mountain climbing escapades when walking to the end of the block seems challenging enough.
Sure, I have a very long list of things big and small which I want to do like eat more greens, never miss a workout, be done with processed sugar and find time to meditate amidst a packed schedule. And I want to do them all perfectly.
But the reality is I can’t. There, I’ve said it. I fight wanting to be perfect all the time, especially when it comes to food. Instead I’m having to get comfortable with the idea of most of the time and with the very uncomfortable idea of being wildly consistent most of the time.
I’ve got a long way to go to get to my goals. So my plan for this week is to take just one thing from my very long must-do-perfectly-list and get good at that. I’ll try to be kind to myself and focus on getting that one thing right. Then I’ll add in something else.
I’m playing the long game. I’m the tortoise, not the hare. I can’t lose faith; faith that I will come through for myself.
(Sometimes Sarah is a Perth gal with a weight loss goal of over 60 kg who’ll be sharing the good, the bad and the sometimes painful on her own weight loss and fitness journey.)
A Note from Caitlin…
We all experience what Sarah is feeling. Intention is there but the problem comes when actioning. This week I presented a workshop on Meal Planning and Organization and this was one of the areas covered. We all know what we want… we all know how to do it… where our problems lie is on actually consistently actioning. We need to break our habits that have been created and learnt over years, some even from growing up. The good news is this is a choice you can make and have the power to change.
If what you have been trying to action has not been working try and analyse why…
- Are you trying to be too perfect? I like to think that 80% is good enough. This crosses over to many areas of life. We are busy, time poor and 80% will get you great results but bring you balance in your life. 80% better this time will probably be 90% better this time next year as your habits become more second nature then 95% if you continue to follow the next year. As long as you are progressing towards your goals in a general manner you are “winning”. Recognise you have to build to achieve your goals and don’t set your self up to fail.
- Do you have an action plan? It is all well and good to have this big plan of what we want to become but if you don’t have a plan of action it is no good to you… How are you going to do it? Make it clear. Schedule it. Write it down. Even physically seeing it on a piece of paper will subconsciously program your mind to you come closer to your goals. Poor planning is in my mind the biggest reason for falling off the wagon. Everyone is busy… every one can make time for what they prioritise. You have a conscious choice to make make and you need a framework to begin this new life choice. With out it is is a thought only…
- Are you trying to put a circle in a square hole? Often people forget that to make any lifestyle change there will have to be some sacrifices made to your current lifestyle. If you do not recognise, accept and action these sacrifices no change will take place. You have to choose if you want results more than you want these minor sacrifices and changes that need to be made.
- Is an emotion or situation stopping you from reaching your goal? Is it stress, anger, pity or boredom that is holding you back? If so ditch it or work through it. What ever you do, be proactive. Learn to reprogram your reaction to this emotion or situation so you take control and stay on track with your goal. Having reminders written down as to why you want to achieve your goals can help here. Having a little reminder of WHY you want something can help you get through the times where you are feeling vulnerable to fall off track and give you a little light to lead you forwards.
These are just a few reasons but hopefully some of them will ring a truth with some of you. Something you really want is always worth fighting for and you will become a better person from going through the experiences. You have to have the lows to have the highs… Love life and be kind to yourselves. Everybody goes though a period of being “stuck” but you can become “un-stuck”and instead being “moving forward”! xx
Contact Caitlin if you need a session on becoming unstuck and some help to establish a new routine!