Have You Ever Gone Off The Rails?

Most people at some time or other might reach a point where they go a little off plan. It’s called ‘being human’. This often happens because humans mostly don’t like making changes, and therefore it can be hard to stick to a new plan or goal. Why bring this up, you ask?

Because currently, it’s the beginning of February. It might not seem like a very important part of the year to some (except if it’s your birthday or maybe for Valentines celebrations!) but really, there’s some significance to this time of year.

I’m thinking about New Year’s Resolutions here, or more specifically, giving up on them.

The period between the end of January and the beginning of February is the most common time of the year for people to start forgetting about or giving up on their New Year’s Resolutions. And around 80% of them have been broken by this point.

It is easy to understand why. Telling yourself to do something is the easy part, particularly on a possibly drunken New Year’s Eve night. But fast forward to now, and you could be possibly wondering if it was as realistic as you thought, and if it’s even worth it.

My Current Goal

I’m someone who considers setting goals for myself at any time of the year, so I decided to start something new late last year.

I wanted to start looking after myself more health-wise, so I began to start cutting sugar out of my diet and exercising more.

Now when it came to Christmas, it was more of a struggle. During the festive season you tend to be around a lot more people than usual, and usually there’s quite a lot of tempting food around!

And it is easy to tell yourself, ‘Oh well, it’s Christmas!’. When you’re faced with something difficult, it can be all too easy to come up with excuses to justify breaking your own rules. Believe me, we have all had that voice in our head.

Usually, the way you’ll try to combat this is to remind yourself that you NEED to do it, or that you will start again after Christmas for example , but that often fails.

But there are a couple of other ways to motivate yourself.

Being Clear About What You Want

Think about your WHY, what you enjoy, what drives you.

Take me for example – my WHY is to guide and help other people. How could I link this to my goals?

If I can be healthier, then I’m more likely to live longer. And if I live longer, then it gives me more opportunities to help even more people. So, by keeping that in mind, I can incorporate my WHY feeling into my goal.

Not only that, but my goal is beneficial to others too. Yes, I can help more people, but I can also inspire them at the same time.

The next thing to do is to set an intention within your goal. Not just ‘I want to lose weight’, but instead ‘I want to drop another stone over the next month.’

The Crucial Part About This Is To Set A Date.

Having a particular date in mind might seem too strict or stress-inducing at first, but it’s something that I’ve found helps me stay on track.

With my current goal, I want to drop another stone in time for our International Women’s Day/Find Your WHY anniversary celebration, which is coming soon on March 11th.

Not only am I doing this to inspire other women there, but I’m also doing this because I know that some of the fellow WHYs Women are on a similar diet to me, and I want to keep going alongside them.

Because sharing goals with someone is also beneficial!

Remember That YOU Are In Control Of Your Goals

Yes, things will always happen in life that you can’t have control over, but for the most of your goals, you CAN keep yourself accountable.

It’s all about what you tell yourself, what goes on in your mind. Give yourself a better answer. Think about the long term gains over the short term and don’t be ‘all or nothing’. If you do eat a piece of chocolate, that doesn’t mean it is all over – unless you throw the towel in. Just see it as what it is – a tiny blip and get back in the saddle (to mix my metaphors!).

If you’re struggling with sticking to your New Year’s goals at the moment, I hope this helps! Don’t be part of that 80% – stand out from the crowd, and keep going. You got this!