We had blue Monday last week apparently. Which means basically everyone fell off the wagon and failed at their crappy resolutions already.
But as much as I happily fire away at how crap NY resolutions are, is it the promises and the goals that is the problem, or is it how we deal with setbacks when it comes to our goals…? Maybe we focus too heavily on perfection instead of process…?
You understand the importance of setting and achieving goals. And you’ve definitely been told before that setbacks and obstacles are a natural part of the journey towards achieving. That said, it’s harder to believe what you’re being told (or even what you’re telling yourself!), when the brown stuff hits the fan.
Sympathy please.
You’ve heard me talk about not much else for the past four months if you’ve been around me, but I’m man down for now. Not much other than five days a week in the pool. And just as I think I’m making progress with the chronic afflictions in my spine, BANG. I spend the weekend lying face down into the carpet, crying into my virtual sketchbook (a new app to keep me entertained as I can still do it face down and it keeps me quiet for HOURS when I’m banned from my bike…).
And it’s hard to deal with the FACT that progress isn’t linear. It’s hard to see an end point when it feels in the moment like you’re moving backward. But I keep reminding myself of my own teaching points; LEARN. I can learn what led to my setback, what I can do better next time. And that’s the first lesson.
Don’t let setbacks define you, use them as a learning opportunity and move forward.
Another thing we all overlook from time to time, is the importance of staying persistent and patient. Achieving your goals takes time and effort, and setbacks are bound to happen. But, if you truly want to achieve your goals, you need to keep pushing through the tough times and stay motivated. It’s easy to achieve things when everything is going to plan and times are good. But it feels much greater when you achieve what you set out to and you faced immense challenge along the way – because as always, “success” is about PROCESS and EXPERIENCE, it’s not an end destination.
It’s also important to remember that it’s okay to adjust your goals if needed.
Sometimes, the goals you set for yourself may not be the right fit for your current life circumstances.
It’s okay to re-evaluate your goals and adjust them as needed.
Setbacks are a normal part of the journey towards achieving your goals. You understand the importance of setting and achieving goals, but don’t let setbacks discourage you. Learn from them, stay persistent and patient, and remember that it’s okay to adjust your goals as needed. Keep pushing, no matter how hard it gets, stay focused on the present and enjoying the now and one day, you’ll turn around, looking down from the dizzying height you’re at and realise that a long time ago, that was exactly where you wanted to be.
In the meantime, for me, I’ll be enjoying my sketchbooks and trying to focus on the fact that EVENTUALLY, I’ll be a badder, better (but perhaps not bigger…) triathlon machine and all this will be added to the “well” for me to draw strength from when the next setback inevitably rears its ugly head.
And if food is a barrier for you right now…
…check out the Reframe programme! Running every 6 weeks with focused group chats on reframing our relationship with food and creating the perfect individualised plan to get you on track for more energy, more focus and more contentment around your food.