I found an old blog post this morning that I wrote four years ago when I was working with clients on their health journey. The topic was a recipe for success and interesting enough, the top three things I discussed continue to be relevant today, no matter what aspect of life you are working on. So here’s to sharing my recipe for success, that I have used countless times myself, as well as with my clients, in order to achieve what we desire:
Ingredient One: Decision + Commitment
Have you ever started something new and been thoroughly convinced you were going to see it through, only to find yourself completely disinterested a week later? I’ve started countless numbers of projects and diets this way. I convinced myself that yes, I am totally going to eat nothing but raw foods until I lose some weight and then the second they were serving cookies at a lunch meeting or someone forgot to go to the store? My brain handed me “well, that was stupid to think I could live like that anyway so I might as well quit now”. Or I’m really going to focus on this self-care thing, but then a project comes up at work and my sleep schedule got thrown out the window.
In order to succeed, you have to not only make a decision that you are going to go for it, but you have to commit to staying on track no matter what. Even when it sucks, even when times are hard, even when it’s less than ideal, even when you are uncomfortable. As you are making a decision, ask yourself “am I willing to commit to this even when…” and fill in the blanks with a variety of scenarios that all are likely to happen. If you are not willing to stick to your decision and do whatever it takes, then ask yourself why not?
I’m not saying that commitment equals perfection, it may only be 90% of the time that you stick to the plan in the end, but it does mean not giving up even when things are less than perfect.
Ingredient Two: Plan Ahead of Time
You must have a plan. Saying “I will try to do this tomorrow” or “I will fit this in once a day” is not a plan. A plan is knowing exactly what you are going to do, when you will do it, predicting roadblocks and knowing how you will overcome them. When we decide ahead of time, we engage our prefrontal cortex or intelligent brain in the discussion. Ask yourself “what would the person that has already met my goal do in order to get there?” Plan the actions, put time on your calendar to execute very specific tasks and keep working the plan. It’s important to note too, that part of your plan is sharing what you are doing with those around you and asking for their respect and support. A plan may also mean sharing it with those around you ahead of time and asking for their respect and support of how you will use your time.
Ingredient Three: Build a Fortress Around Your Focus
Once you’ve made a decision for what you want to do and how you plan to get there, you need to create a system around you that supports it. That means adding the voices of people who support you and removing the voices of people who don’t, including your own. All of that negative self talk, whether it is coming from someone else or yourself, will start to chip away at your commitment. The best way to not let it get to you, is by recognizing it for what it truly is. Just sentences in your brain or someone else’s that you choose not to believe. And sometimes it doesn’t even come across as negative. It might simply be language that lacks full belief in your ability or process to get where you want to go. So keep asking yourself whether the information flowing around you is helping or hurting? Is it propelling you to move forward, causing you to spin in confusion or holding you back? And then find ways to minimize and remove anything that isn’t propelling you forward.
Rinse and repeat. With any missteps, ask yourself what is missing. And if you need someone to help figure out where you are stuck, I am here to help. Book a free consult here to get started back on that path to success today.