My mom recently saw Jon Taffer, host of Bar Rescue on Dr. Phil talking about his new book Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself! Crush the Excuses that are Holding You Back. She suggested it to me because I have been feeling overwhelmed by the many directions I want to take my life. I have also been frustrated when I don’t see myself heading closer to my goals…I mean, are my goals really that clear?

I had a recent conversation with my boyfriend Jonathan about how irritating it is to stick to a plan and not achieve goals. We talked about the whoosh phenomenon: where many people who want to lose weight don’t see much change and then suddenly (and finally!) drop several pounds seemingly overnight.

It occurred to me that dealing with impatience while Achieving a goal is as crucial as achieving the goal, because inevitably there will be something along the way that challenges you. As I mentioned before, these challenges can be viewed as struggle or growth, and you have the choice to title them one thing or another.

Though I am no expert at dealing with these things, I am an expert at dealing with the fact that they are indeed a part of life and our perspectives on them are everything. 

Here are 4 of my tips to deal with this irritation:

1. Focus on slices of a goal, not just the final goal:

For example, while you are losing weight it’s easy to think about your goal body. Instead, break down your day so you are doing the activities to achieve the goal, such as each meal, snack, and activity directed towards the goal. If you have many events to check in and see if you are accountable, it’s easier than just weighing yourself every once and a while and feeling good or bad about it. 

2. Imagine chipping away at a goal like a sculpture:

I love imagining having a big chunk of marble in front of me and me with a hammer and chisel and chipping pieces off. Each time I do a small thing that will get me closer to my goal, I imagine a chip coming off and landing on the ground. Eventually, it’ll be a Venus de Milo!

3. Celebrate small successes:

We focus on what we don’t have, what’s wrong, and how that goal isn’t here yet dammit! Remind yourself of all the things you did in one day that directed you towards the big goal. Focuses on what I haven’t gotten yet or what is wrong just gives me a headache.

4. Focus on what you did do rather than what you didn’t do:

I am a to-do list junkie! I love making lists and crossing them out. Confession: I even add things to my after they are done just for the satisfaction of getting them done! But some evenings, I look at my list and didn’t get to them all, which irritates me because they’re going to hang over my head until the next day. Take a breath and look at all the things you did do. I’m sure you crossed of something that will actually get you closer to your big goal.

The post 4 Tips For When You Are Impatient About Achieving Your Goals (Monday Musings: March 26, 2018) appeared first on Chow Bella Paleo.