So, gujess what... you need to create SMART goals for yourself... Goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound... For Specific, choose something you can pin down... "becoming a better person" is not specific... "express gratitude to others" is specific... For Measurable, you can't measure "more"... so drop the "more patience", "more gratitude" etc. Measure how often you express gratitude to others this week, for example... For Achievable, you need to be realistic... Don't set yourself up for failure right off the bat by trying to lose 25 lbs this week... For Relevant, it has to matter to you... it has to be important to you... And for Time-Bound, set an "end" point, something in the future that you can aim for. Even if you plant on doing it for ever, an end point means it isn't as overwhelming, and you can always recommit at that point. Creating a Smart goal, means you have a sense of completion, which leads to satisfaction, which leads you to tackle something else, maybe a bit bigger...
Have you ever made a written contract with yourself? Maybe it's time to try it... To put something in writing about what you are up to... Putting it in writing is different than just saying it outloud... And it helps to get others involved too, because they can call you on your progress or lack thereof!
M.J. Ryan also recommends tracking your progress... How many days did you exercise this week as opposed to last week. What is your sense of patience today (-5 to +5)... what is it tomorrow? Next week? Next month? To just keep track of where we have been gives us a sense of moving forward. Because small changes do add up, but if we don't track them, we can get lost and not sense our progress...
Did you know you don't have to go it alone? Nope, you're allowed to get support for your endeavour! In fact, you're strongly encouraged to get support, in whatever shape or form required. We don't need to know it all... or go it alone. Take a look and see, whate sort of support would help you to move forward in whatever you are doing...
And it might feel awkward to start with. After all, you're trying to shift something that hasn't shifted for a while, if ever. It's OK to be a learner, OK to be awkward. M.J. Ryan talks about three zones in life: comfort, stretch and stress... We want to live in the stretch zone, where we're always stretching ourselves beyond where we've been... but not so much that we are stressed out! It's the best way to keep our brains healthy...
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