How many times have you had a great idea to make a change in your life, got all excited, envisioned the result and yet you didn’t reach your goal?
Perhaps it was to lose weight, exercise, redecorate a room or maybe it was something as simple as gettting up 15 minutes earlier so you don’t have to rush in the mornings.
Goals without a plan are like assignments without deadlines, if you don’t have a set time frame for the end result it is much easier to procrastinate and not complete the process.
Here are a few tips to get you started towards successful goal planning:
Always write the goal down, include why it is important that you attain this goal – if at some point you find yourself wavering then you can always refer back to what it was that prompted you to set it in the first place.
Set a beginning date and a deadline date for completion – often when we start on a whim we are not well prepared to follow through, the deadline gives us an end point to work towards creating urgency.
Break the goal down to smaller more manageable pieces and include a time frame for each part, it is much easier to tackle one portion of a project at a time than to become overwhelmed when you look at the big picture.
Regularly evaluate your progress, review what is working and what isn’t and when necessary make adjustments.
Find yourself an accountability buddy, someone who is willing to support you and keep you accountable to your deadlines and to reaching your goals.
When things don’t run according to plan, be willing to change the plan, this is often the difference between success and failure. I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change. ~ Jim Rohn
Emotionally charged habits such as smoking keeps us from letting it go – part of quitting smoking is learning to develop new ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
Habits are there to make life easier. They allow your mind to focus on what’s important or new without becoming cluttered and confused.
Like any habit you want to break, you have to replace it with a new one. If coffee and a cigarette is your morning ritual, change it for some exercise followed by herbal tea.
The “I will quit tomorrow” – never happens.
The reason people start smoking again after quitting is the subconscious memory recalls that smoking once seemed to relieve anxiety – an illusion created by smoking in the first place.
I Need to Smoke to Relax:
The nicotine trick is the illusion that smoking causes relaxation, when in fact it is only relieving the effects of the stress caused by the previous cigarette.
I’ve Failed So Often in the Past I’m Bound to Fail Again:
Becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, if you believe you can’t you won’t….
Smoking Just A Few Cigarettes A Day Is Okay:
You haven’t quit if you continue to expose yourself to this cancer-causing product.” Simply put, there is no safe cigarette or level of exposure.
My Smoking Harms Only Me:
Second-hand smoke actually harms those around you, since they’re also inhaling the 4,000 chemicals that your cigarette gives off.
I’ve Smoked For So Long; Why Bother Quitting Now?
Your health will improve immediately. Within just 20 minutes of smoking the last cigarette, the risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer begins to decrease.
The bonus is “Your Life”.
I’m Not Really Hooked; I Can Quit At Any Time:
Nicotine is more addictive than heroin, cocaine and alcohol
As with any habit you want to change or develop, planning is a key to a successful outcome.
As a weight loss consultant, I support my clients in juggling their busy lifestyles effectively. Every new client has a unique approach to their weight loss goals.
It never ceases to amaze me the deals that woman make with themselves regarding food. It is a love - hate relationship. They love the food, but hate the results of eating. Food has become their enemy.
Many clients dread the ‘weigh in’ and refuse to even look at the number. This mindset makes it a challenge to set a realistic goal and time-frame to attain it.
My thoughts regarding weight loss have changed over the past couple of years. I believe it is important to think ‘from a long term perspective’ and good health should be considered a major factor .
Looking good is a wonderful boost for the morale and it is great to feel comfortable in your clothes.
You don’t have to be overweight to be unhealthy, it has been documented that thinner women frequently over exercise and may have poor diets that lack the proper nutrition.
It is all about balance….Eat to live – don’t live to eat….
Many companies are jumping on the healthy band wagon by putting fruit in the product title and showing pictures of plump blueberries or juicy strawberries on the label of their products.
Unfortunately if you take the time to read the ingredients, you will find primarily a list of preservatives and fruit is often barely mentioned.
This is one of my favourite pieces of poetry from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, it simplistically sums up human nature and our ability ‘ to fall in a few holes’ before we change our approach.
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
I walk down another street. From: Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
In many instances when working with my weight loss clients, there is a ‘light bulb’ moment when everything we have talked about comes together. Just recently I had shared that moment with Gail.
Gail and I have been working together for 3 monthes. She is extremely successful at losing weight, yet her biggest challenge has been to maintain her weight loss. She is currently working on setting smaller weight loss goals and also addressing her emotional connection to food. Last week I asked her to assess her progress and write down the five things she has learnt.
Five things I’ve learned through this journey of mine:
It’s easier to put weight on than take off (especially the 2nd time around)
Breakfast is a good thing
I can still feel satisfied after eating a healthy meal, rather than junk food
As hard as it is sometimes, exercising makes me feel good
I’m learning to see the “hidden” calories in foods
Five things I still have to work on:
Trying to eat more for breakfast
Trying not to feel “mad” for having to watch what I eat
To be more creative with my meal choices
Trying to like to eat veggies
Trying not to plan activities around food
Snacking is one thing many of us seem to view as either good or bad. Perhaps because there is a misconception that snacking is an indulgence rather than a necessity. The old belief that we should have our three square meals per day is no longer relevant based on the fact, we now know eating smaller meals more frequently is better for our bodies.
Snacks have become part of our daily food intake. By denying ourselves we deprive our bodies of the nutrition it craves. Snacks should consist of a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Some examples to consider an apple and peanut butter, veggies and hummus or low fat yoghurt .
Planning your snacks is just as important as planning meals.
Snacking
If you think of snacks as part of you meals then consider cookies, chocolate and chips as treats or desserts, extra calories to enjoy on occaison but not to be traded off in place of meals. This is a good way to get balance in your eating habits without feeling deprived.
It is of the utmost importance because your body and mind are your most valuable assets.
For most of us, wellness will depend on not who we are – but how we live.
Wellness is more than physical health, it is a balanced approach to life.
Great Health and Wellness depends on your ability to survive change and have resiliency in times of turmoil.
Total wellness encourages us to become self-aware and to seek preventative measures for a healthy happy lifestyle. Some questions to consider:
Are you personally committed to improving your Health and Wellness?
Do you actively protect your health & well-being by eating well to maintain a healthy body and exercising for physical and mental health?
Do you consciously work at reducing stress, so that you sleep better and are able to enjoy your life?
Are you aware of any hereditary conditions, that may effect the quality of your life?
Do you maintain a spiritual outlook on life, by taking care of your core values?
Do you practice preventative measures for future good health and well-being i.e. quit smoking, weight management, lowering cholesterol & high blood pressure?
Habits are like comfortable beds they are easy to get into, but difficult to get out of ~ unknown
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Successful Goals Need Planning
