At Most times, We tend to be hard on ourselves and do not realise how far we have come from where we had initially started. It could be working on our weight management or spending more time with our loved ones. This is a typical attitude of seeing the glass half empty rather than half full.
There are many times In my life where for a moment, I felt remorseful about the progress made by me even though realistically things are going in the right direction, albeit slowly. It is important that we believe in ourselves and build on our progress which according to me is an important trait of a successful human being.
While working with my clients, I make it an important point of discussion to highlight the small steps of progress they have taken which otherwise might look very insignificant to them. When one steps back and looks at the situation objectively, there will be considerable momentum for the individual to build on. It is with these small achievements that one can build a strong habit and eventually change one’s lifestyle.
When I look back over the years, I have had zillions of setbacks starting from not making it to the gym for at least 3-4 days a week or staying away from greasy or fattening food. Realisation slowly dawned that the answer is in looking at why it happened and ensuring that there is some learning from it. If I had allowed myself to get stuck then I would have never have been able to reach my destination.
We tend to feel guilty and bad about ourselves for not doing things we had committed but the thumb rule is to pull ourselves up and move forward. Sometimes it might be working out or even getting up early or just being disciplined in our food habits.
The idea over here is not to become complacent but to be realistic and ensure one develops a pattern which over a period of time becomes a habit. There are many people who want to get into an exercise habit and give up on their bad habits. They tend to do well for a week but somewhere along the way they lose focus and eventually get back to their regular habits. When they happen to meet me they feel guilty and actually helpless that they did try to get into a habit but eventually their vices took over their determination. The trick over here is to ensure one does not give up at the first signs of failure but keep at it till a strong habit is forged.
Sometimes when I used to fail in my efforts to inculcate a habit or needed to work on something important the next day, it used to help me to programme myself the previous night just before going to bed and conveying to my subconscious mind the importance of not failing. This at most times yielded wonderful results.
Having written goals will do a world of good. It has been time and again proven that people with a clear time bound written goal be it financial, relationship or even health have more or less reached or at times exceed their expectations. Therefore it is imperative that one has clear written goal to ensure that one does not lose focus. There are many times that a list of goals is more prominent in my wallet than the currency that i carry. Whenever I get a chance during the day, I quickly take a look at them and remind myself as to why it was so important.
Finally using a little bit of visualisation will do a world of good for anyone who is struggling to keep up with themselves. Seeing things in our minds eye as to how things will be if we have reached our goals will propel ourselves to work towards them with greater zeal and commitment.
Some of these above mentioned techniques have been used by many to achieve their goals and most importantly get up every time one tends to fall. I do not see any reason why you cant incorporate these principals in your life. It is always a smarter and easier method to learn from others mistakes rather than wasting precious time by reinventing the wheel.
I hope this article will make some of you work with more purpose on the life changing habits you are working on and for the others who have given up at the first signs of failure, It might reignite your desire to achieve your goals!
Do share with me if you have worked out your own unique way of working on your habits and I would be happy to hear from you.