Last week, we had an interesting response to project #2. (Sorry about the linkup post, I was traveling Friday but if you’ve done it, link up below!)
Anyway, there were quite a few commenters who thought this project sent them right outside their comfort zone and honestly, WE LOVE THAT!
WHY? Because.
When I was in spin class a few months ago, my teacher (who was a bit on the manly side) yelled with her deep manvoice, “You know how it’s burning right now and you want to stop??? Well don’t! Because the part where you want to give up is the part where you HAVE TO KEEP GOING! Because THAT’S where you see change!” Is doing this uncomfortable? Yes. Yes it is.
It’s hard to believe that the painful part is the part where you have to keep going because everything in your body is telling you to stop. It’s the whole “fight or flight” thing and most definitely your body wants to “flight.” But it’s true. If you don’t send your body straight out of your comfort zone, you will never see anything change. You will see the same thing over and over again, and if you’re ok with that, then maybe the comfort zone is ok. But most of us (and I know who we all are) actually want to see us make differences in our lives, and that’s where this project comes in.
January’s project #2 was about goal-setting and we were going to move on from here to a new project, but we’re thinking we should talk a little more about this one! A lot of you mentioned the fear associated with goal-setting because we equate it with setting ourselves up for failure. I know exactly what you mean. It’s a sort of double-edged sword because on one hand, many of us have gone through diet ups and downs and roller coastering and failure. BUT, (and this is a big but — the one with only one “t” however) you can’t reach a goal if you don’t set a goal. Interesting situation.
So we are absolutely guaranteed to not reach a goal if we don’t set one.
Here’s where I try to sell you on goal-setting and it starts with one line: There is no such thing as failure.
You might look at not reaching your goal as another failure in the diet roller-coaster, but really it is opportunity. In fact, I would almost rather have the failure because then I can learn about what went wrong. I might not have gotten to my goal, but there is always a reason why. Maybe an obstacle popped up or maybe I set my goal too high. This is all ok. When the goal is not reached or an obstacle pops up, instead of calling it failure and becoming disappointed with ourselves and giving up, we simply adjust the goal or perhaps the time frame in which to reach it, instead maybe setting a new immediate goal that will perhaps address the obstacle that popped up (limits on fast food, bringing food to a gathering, adjusting our surroundings or network of friends, adjusting a bad habit), etc.
All of it is a work in progress. (I learned I cannot give up cheese. But, I am capable of scaling back on dessert. The journey is so personal and unique to each of us that it is a MUST that we figure out what we are and are not capable of and “failing” is part of that.)
If we fail, then we might find out *why* our behaviors are the way they are. Maybe I can substitute an activity for a snack. Or bring lunch. Or plan better. Or tell my “eating buddy” that we have to become “movie buddies” or something else. Maybe I realized I hate pilates and love spinning. Maybe I’m just bored.
There is always a reason.
That is why there is no such thing as failure.
Failure is opportunity.
This week we’re giving this project a round 2, so go ahead and set those goals and if you have already set your goals, link up your blog posts below. It might take time, but YOU ARE WORTH THIS. You are worth every minute of planning out your goals and writing up a blue print to reach them.
You wouldn’t drive to New York without a map or a GPS or an idea how you are going to get there. You might be afraid to start the trip but look at how much fun it is when you get there! And then what do you know, the journey turns out to be half the fun. So, writing out your goals, creating smaller goals on the way to the big goal, writing out your vision for yourself, splitting it all up into segments of reachable, attainable goals is the only way to make your big goal not look like a huge mountain. It’s like that yodeler guy game on the Price is Right (can’t you just here him yodeling now as he climbs the mountain with his big pick axe and liederhosen?)
This is the ONE TIME you’re actually going to reach goal and it’s going to start with your post on how you’re going to get yourself there.
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