3 Keys to Actually Reaching your 2018 Goals
Look. I'm not going to pretend like I have been keeping completely to my New Year's resolutions. I haven't been perfect with my working out or eating, but this week has been far better than every week of 2017. I'm an all or nothing perfectionist. I either do things 100% as planned, or I don't do them at all. When I was growing up, this meant my room was always a mess. I wouldn't clean unless I could deep clean (when I say deep, I mean like wiping down individual books with clorox wipes deep), and that meant it rarely happened. Sorry, mom.
Anyway, that type of perfectionism doesn't quite work for reaching your goals. Specifically, putting off working out and eating right until I can do so "perfectly" is far less beneficial than being imperfect but consistent. It's about progress, not perfection. This first week of January (a gigantic failure) has reminded me of these impractical perfectionist tendencies, but also how I can combat them, and actually make some lasting changes. So, I'm sharing with you what is going to drive me to reach my goals this year, so we can all reach our goals together :)
Support.
The first day of the year, I didn't eat well. I actually didn't eat much at all. So by the time I got to the gym I was starving, nauseated, and lightheaded. The workout didn't go well (obvi), and I was pretty pissed. More on that in the next point. I really felt like giving up, though, and texted my boo to tell him how bad I felt about it. He gave me some words of wisdom: "It's a marathon, not a sprint," and "You did more than you have been doing." Which I then translated to: "You did something, and something is better than nothing. Better is good. Better is the goal." Having someone there to let me know it was okay, was a huge reason why I went grocery shopping that same day. I'm an emotional girl. I'm hard on myself when things don't go well, so I need constant words of encouragement like that. He's the opposite. He likes tough love. In his case, support means accountability with a side of hype. No matter if you're like me, or like him, having someone who is aware of your goals and is supportive of them, and keeps you accountable can keep you on track.
Preparation.
On the first day of the year, I hadn't gone grocery shopping. I hadn't meal planned or prepped. I hadn't joined the gym I'd planned to. I didn't even have a sports bra (that I didn't purchase in 2011). I wasn't ready to do the things I wanted to, so naturally, I failed, felt awful, and thought about ditching my goals altogether. Luckily, I didn't, and have since gone grocery shopping, roasted a bunch of vegetables, riced some cauliflower, brought lunch to work, researched and wrote down recipes I want to create, etc. etc. All the preparation actually got me excited about eating well. But more importantly, it made eating well incredibly easy. If I'm hungry, there are healthy options preppred and ready for me. Also, I bought new sports bras. It's impossible to meet your goals if you're not prepared to. Don't set yourself up for failure.
Instant Gratification.
If your goals are long-term, like building a blog, losing weight, or getting fit, for example, then it takes a while to see results. Making eating better and working out more immediately compelling or rewarding has been helpful. When it comes to eating well, I get instant gratification from creating a meal that I love and that looks good. I will shamelessly take photos of it. If you've been following my instagram story (@mariamunroeblog, hehe), you would have seen the shots below.
Taking those photos is so satisfying for me, that it's worth all of the work I put into the food. I've actually really been enjoying cooking so much lately that I spent a solid chunk of time planning out my menu for next week. When it comes to working out, finding something immediately satisfying was a bit more difficult. However, I've realized that my body and my mind are a lot more at ease after a workout. The calm and content feeling I get from working out, oh, and the amazing sleep I've been getting, are good enough for me. So even though, yeah, I want to look good, in order to convince myself to go to the gym in the now, I tell myself I'm going to feel really good and happy. This way I'm happy immediately and eventually.
My mantra (I guess?) for this year is a random quote I found on Pinterest: "If the plan isn't working, ditch the plan, but never the goal." Cheesy, right? Applicable, though. The first week of this year, was not the way I wanted to start the year right out of the gate, but I changed my plan and mindset for this second week. And so far, it has been way WAY better. How are your NY resolutions coming along, and more importantly, do you think you need a little more of these three things to help them along?