#refocus
We’ve all been there…
You follow your diet religiously for a week and then break it with a weekend binge. You commit to working out more, hit the gym for two days, and then day 3 rolls around and you can barely walk up the stairs let alone even THINK about hitting the gym again. You set a vision for your career and get excited by the possibilities, only to get boggled down in everyday responsibilities and not return to your dream until months later.
Guess what?!? You're not alone! No one wants to admit they fall off the wagon but we ALL do! These small hiccups don’t make you a failure, they make you a normal HUMAN. The most successful people in the world slip up on their habits too. What separates them isn’t just their willpower and motivation, it’s their ability to get back on track quickly.
There will always be instances when following your regular routine is basically impossible. You don’t need superhuman willpower, you just need strategies that can pull you back on track. Habit formation hinges on your ability to bounce back.
With that said, here are five steps that you can use to get back on track right now…
1. First...Identify. Sit back and think about what happened to enable you to lose your focus or what caused you to stop whatever it was that you were working on. If you can identify obstacles that hindered your progress previously, you will be able to spot them moving forward so it won't be an issue again.
2. Establish a Routine. If this is a new concept for you, start small and simple. Once you are comfortable and established new habits, add a few new things each week.
3. Put it on a Calendar. It doesn't matter if you're old school like my mother (I love you, Mom!!) with the itty bitty free yearly calendar Hallmark gives out for free or you are a paperless person and are using Google Calendar...make sure everything is on the calendar. Then you don't have to store all of that in your noggin.
4. Set Goals. These can be personal or professional but everyone should have short term and long term goals. Make them meaningful!
5. Accountability. Have you ever had that friend who will text you at 4:30am making sure you're up, out of bed and still meeting at the gym for the morning workout you've been talking about for ages but haven't committed to? Having someone who's counting on you makes it next to impossible not to accomplish something. This is no different when you're talking about goal setting or establishing a new routine/forming new habits. Find someone who you can share what you're doing with and ask them to hold you accountable to accomplishing what you've set out to do.
Lastly...Get Back on Track
Change can be hard. In the beginning, your healthy habits might take two steps forward and one step back. Anticipating those backwards steps can make all the difference in the world. Develop a plan for getting back on track and recommit to your routine as quickly as possible. The best part about each morning is that with each sunrise, you have the opportunity to make the most of it! Best of luck...one step at a time, you've got this!!