Around this time last year, I got tired of hating how I looked in the mirror and in photographs, and decided to do something about it. But what?
I’ve tried meal plans, supplements, shakes and all kinds of exercise programs. My house is full of DVD’s, weights, benches and exercise machines. None of them worked long term. Sure, I lost some but it would always come back.
I decided, to do this right and make it stick it had to be something for the long term. In light of that, expensive packaged meals were out. So were shakes and all kinds of supplements or HCG shots. I pared everything down to the basics and looked at what I had. The plan was simple. Track what I ate, and get on the treadmill. No complex routines, no diets, absolutely no resolutions. In fact everything about it was B-O-R-I-N-G. Totally unsexy and it was a lot of hard work.
I won’t lie. It was tough in the beginning but before long, apart from the weight loss, I began noticing something else. If I failed to get on the treadmill at the time I normally did, it would feel like something is ‘Off’ and my day is incomplete.
Then, we took our family on a 5 week vacation out of the country. I figured surely I would fall off this wagon and not get back on but you know something strange? I didn’t. In fact, I slipped right back into the routine. Call it anything you want but the fact is – I’ve developed a HABIT.
It’s funny that this word just a short year ago would make me reject the plan outright. I despised structure and definitely anything that felt like it. Yet, there it is. Proof. Progress. Success.
In so many years of goal setting, I have to say this in conjunction with my one word, has worked better than anything else.
I feel so much better. Definitely love the way I look now and all the old clothing I fit back in to. I just returned from a yearly checkup. Even my doctor commented on the weight loss. I’m changed. In more ways than one.
Looking into the new year, here’s the bottom line – for me.
- Instead of promising to lose another 15 lbs, I’ll simply continue working out 30 minutes a day and tracking my food. This is going to be easy now that it’s a habit.
- Instead of making however much every month, I’ll be working on X number of visitors, Y number of conversion and $X of revenue every day.
- Instead of reading 12 or more non-fiction books a year, I’ll be reading 1 hour everyday.
- Instead of getting organized, I’ll be setting aside 30-60 minutes for reflection and next-day planning everyday.
It’s the things you do everyday that develop that habit and bring you another step further. Before you know it – you’ll have reached your goals and developed a good habit to boot. What about you? What do you want to do in the upcoming year?
