3 Principles for When You Want to Bail

As I write this it is halfway through the month of January. Right now, many people are facing a test of consistency in regard to their new year’s resolutions, new habits, or goals for the year. Maybe you’re struggling right now to keep a morning routine going, stick with your new diet, or stay on track with your business goals. Most people do, that’s not the problem. 

The problem is the mindsets and approaches that have gotten you this far are not the ones that will take you all the way to the promised land. Learning new strategies is critical to moving up in life. You can’t rely on what you know now to get you to the next level. So today I want to share with you three principles to finish strong. Three tools to keep you from becoming a part of the unfortunately high statistic of people who throw in the towel on their habits, goals and dreams.

1- Dwell on why you started

If you’re feeling a lack of motivation to stick with your exercise routine or to build the side hustle you’re working on, I’m going to make a bold claim: you’re not spending enough time dwelling on your dreams.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the distractions and busyness of life, we can forget that a huge piece of remaining motivated is thinking and dreaming about why we’re putting in all this effort in the first place. You need to consistently tap into your ambitions, desires, and aspirations for your life if you want to remain enthusiastic for the long haul.

Have your taken a moment to write down your goals today and think about the joy you’ll experience when you complete them? Are your outcomes clearly posted where you’ll see them every day or pop up as a reminder on your phone? Only with consistent reminders of why we started our venture can we maintain the motivation to complete them.

2- Embrace the trial and error process

Rome was not built in a day! There’s a special skill that finishers have that allows them to focus on finding creative solutions to the problems instead of despairing about how much longer they have yet to go.  The skill is using the “until I ______ I will _____.” statement.

For example, if you often get down on yourself for not making as much progress as quickly as you’d like, you could say: “Until I spend two months trialing my new block time schedule, I will not allow myself to think I’m bad at managing my time.”

Or perhaps your goal is to start a new health habit, an example for that could be “Until I drop to 165 pounds, I will constantly tweak my weight loss plan.” This puts the focus on the end goal and gives yourself permission to try different things until it’s completed. There’s a big difference between fighting the process vs embracing the challenges of trial and error. Finishers concentrate on the outcome and don’t give second-guessing thoughts the time of day.

3- Find a few quick wins

If you’re finding it hard to stay motivated on the journey, never underestimate the power of taking two or three baby steps. This simple trick of picking a few low hanging fruit can create a boatload of renewed energy and enthusiasm. Plus, it will just make you happy!

When was the last time you felt proud of something you accomplished? What’s something you could do today to feel like you’re making progress? Identify some wins you could get in the next 24 hours that would make you feel good about yourself again.  

Dwell on why you started, embrace the trial and error process, and find a few quick wins. These are great principles, but they won’t do anything for you unless you take action. Pick something you’re going to change about your approach to your habits or goals today, and plan how you’re going to implement it. You may feel like giving up right now but remember you’re an incredibility creative human being, and you have everything you need to take your next step. I believe in you, now get out there and create the impossible in your life!

-Joey