Have you ever had a goal that, despite your best efforts, has not come into realization? This can be the most frustrating thing, and it seems like the more times you fail, the harder it gets to succeed. Many people struggle in this way with dieting. They say, “today will be the day that I’m finally going to get my diet on the right track”, and then someone brings in a birthday cake to work and the diet goes out the window. “Well, I’ll start tomorrow”; Ever heard that one before? I’ve used that excuse many times for many things. I struggle with this often in trying to get myself up early in the morning. I can see such benefit in getting up a couple hours before I have to leave for work. I could work out, take my dog for an extra walk, work on my blog posts… the possibilities are endless. Still, no matter how often I set my alarm early, my brain wakes me up at a certain time (I sleep through all alarms) and I find I have just enough time to get ready and head out the door. Maybe its weight loss, or finding the right person. It doesn’t matter. Once you’ve lost faith in yourself and no longer believe that you can do it, accomplishing that goal becomes more difficult.

SO, how do you get out of that rut? In my mind I always believe it takes a mental shift. At this point, it is entirely your perspective that is setting up the situation for failure. For progress to be achieved, you must change your thinking- not just about the goal, but about yourself. Here are some ways to get yourself back on track.

• Take some time to re-evaluate the goal. What is it you want to achieve? What are the benefits of achieving this goal? What will it take to accomplish? Journal this stuff so that you can return to it if you find yourself off-track again later.
• Meditate, go for a walk or a hike, or go to your sacred space, and discuss with yourself if this goal is truly important to you. Often times our goals are not our own. Maybe you’re trying to lose weight for a significant other. I contend that if the end result of the goal is to please someone other than yourself, it’s not worth it. You’ll have a much harder time succeeding if you aren’t 100% behind it.
• If the goal is in fact something for you, and you are still certain that you want to achieve it, begin setting yourself a time line. It’s important to outline where you’re trying to get to so that you know when you’ve succeeding in completing the goal. For me, the end point would be successfully waking two hours early for 30 days straight and no longer sleeping through my alarm. Sometimes though, the end point might be too far off, making it harder to stay focused and motivated. This is where a time line can come in handy. Create some milestones for success. For instance, my first milestone would be to successfully get up one hour early for the first two weeks. This technique is really helpful for losing weight. Maybe you want to lose 40 pounds in the next 6 months. Setting up “mini-goals” to achieve each of the 10 pounds can really help keep you motivated because you find success along the way.
• Finally, do whatever you need to do to remember your worth and your abilities. Remind yourself that you are capable of doing whatever you choose, and that you can in fact succeed in this. Again, meditation and walks are good for this. I for one find a lot of motivation in going for long walk with my dog. I bring some music that inspires me to want to change, and I just walk.
• If you find yourself having an “off day”, don’t let that dampen your spirit! Everyone has good and bad days. Achievement takes perseverance and patience. Don’t give up on yourself; instead, pick yourself back up and start again (don’t wait until tomorrow either)!

Believing in yourself and your ability is the first step to accomplishing any goal. When you have faith in yourself, you can achieve anything you can dream up.

** Photo by Alice Russell

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