Tuesday, July 22, 2008

All or Nothing

On bad days, we think, “Why bother? What difference will it make anyway? Who cares? I don’t! It’s useless. I don’t know what to do anyway!” We end up feeling like failures because we didn’t do anything to make changes in our lives.

On good days we make elaborate plans for how we are going to improve our overall health. We plan exercise regimens, new diets, vitamins, etc. Maybe the plans are unrealistic for where we are right now. Or maybe we don’t define what we are trying to do. I’m going to eat better is very different from saying I’m going to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day every day this week. Or we don’t calculate all the steps it will take to get from here to there. We end up feeling like failures because we didn’t fulfill our plans.

Success is midway between all or nothing. Suppose you want to exercise. What will you do? How long? How often? What do you need in order to accomplish your goal? What is a goal that you KNOW you can achieve? The first week, walk for two and a half minutes, then turn around and come back. Do that three days out of seven. If you want to do more, fine. By keeping the goals measurable and achievable, you will start having success. Each success will restore confidence and give you the desire to work toward the next goal. What step will you take towards your goal today?

No comments: