Plan for the Detours

The best way to predict the future is to create it. –Alan Kay

Happy Tuesday, Blog Buds—I hope everyone’s Monday went as great as mine did and you are ready to hit the ground running today! We have come to a time for a necessary topic-accountability. This is not a favorite subject of mine, but a necessary evil to assist us along the way. Today’s topic should apply to every single one of us. To those who are using the cruise control and appearing seemingly consistent in your daily efforts toward your goal, or for those who are struggling more so and can put on your gym clothes, drive to the gym, walk into the gym and then turn around and leave because you just don’t have any accountability. Those of you out there, you know who you are!!

Any of you who know me well could tell you that I do not respond well to being micromanaged, but if I don’t have very clear and defined limits/boundaries, I will inevitably struggle because I don’t know what my role is. For example, I am not a fan of the speed limit—I believe it should be more of a speed suggestion. I do, however, get upset with drivers who drive like maniacs and fly down the 65 zones going 90. So while I do not like the speed limit, it is something that helps me to succeed. Additionally, if these roads were not being monitored by police, I would probably be one of those 90 mph morons—and not because I’d need to go 90 but because I COULD go 90 without repercussions. I’d like to visit with you today about how you can work to implement some of this same accountability in your life.

Let us first start by recalling the goals that we defined weeks ago. Picture again in your mind the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches related to these goals. Can you feel it as though it is right in front of your face? Now picture moving that goal away from your face—put some space in between you and the goal. Look into that space and identify the potential potholes, speed bumps and exit ramps that you see in that space. These are the millions of excuses or “cheats” we can use that create the distance between ourselves and our goals. I don’t want us to stay here long—I’m not trying to create hopelessness, just a reality of the days that our motivation levels are low (and we have them, I promise, we all do!!). Now that we see all of these potential detours from our goals, it is time to start problem-solving.

What safety nets can you reinforce to create success for yourself? I mentioned a while ago my ability to open up a refrigerator, find a snack, eat it, and walk away realizing that I just ate because I could---not because I was hungry. Tackling this has been an on-going process of accountability reinforcement. I had to create reminders on the fridge of my goals. I had to create “rules” for myself—if it is not a meal time/planned eating time, I have to ask myself a series of questions about WHY I am eating—and take the time to do 25-50 push ups (and if at the end of it, I still want to eat, it is no longer impulsive but planned and then it is okay). I even keep a food log daily that turn into my coach—not because she really cares what I am eating, but because I know I have to report to her.

Time to ask yourself how you can develop similar strategies to help you out. Is it accountability to post on facebook about your daily progress toward your goal? What about a friend that you can correspond with daily to keep each other on track? You may be someone who can create self-accountability through keeping a daily planner and recording your progress each day? Maybe it asking a friend to do it with you (to go for a walk or go shopping with you to make sure you don’t overspend). Maybe it is contacting a friend each time you are struggling with a craving for a cigarette. I know I put in far greater effort in a group than I do individually. I have yoga and pilates videos—they are collecting dust on my shelf because I literally will start the movie, get into position—and then lay down & not do it. Put me in a class at the gym and that’d never happen.

Go ahead and identify your solutions for accountability and get them set up. Your goal should no longer be at a distance, but right back within reach of your mind’s eye as you have just prepared for potential relapses and developed strategies to avoid allowing those relapses to become endings on a journey cut short.

A quick shout out to my girl, Lish, who is at T-minus 89 days as we prepare for our races in Des Moines. Thanks for sharing my link, Girl!!

Enjoy your Tuesday, ya’ll. Get out there and taste today like the ripened fruit that it is!

So this is a lot of inside work again, guys, but remember we are doing this together & we are being open about each step of this process in order to maintain our focus on the goals!!