Setbacks happen.
Success is not a straight line. I don’t lose unless I quit. When you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start again. It’s not over until I win! These statements keep running in my mind over and over again. And, I’m so happy and thankful for yesterday, because I am officially back on track, cementing the good new habits that I set out to create, and moving forward after a rough 10 days.
For those of you who don’t know, I started a 100 Day Challenge about 50 days ago. You’re all invited to join me anytime. The challenge is a way to achieve your goals by creating new habits and shedding habits that aren’t working for you. You can read more about that in my previous blogs.
The 50ish Day Update
I promised myself and you that I would be honest throughout the journey. Not going to lie, this is a tough blog to write. I wasn’t even sure a few days ago that I had what it takes to continue on the challenge. My old thought demons kicked in and grabbed hold. Because I let them. There’s no excuse. Fortunately I know that this is part of the process. No one and nothing is perfect. And so, I continue. I push. I dig deeper and I persevere. From my last report, I have lost only a few more pounds and no more inches off my waist. But the amount I learned about myself is invaluable. And it all came clear yesterday.
Why I’m So Thankful for Yesterday
I woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago really feeling angry at myself. Really disappointed in myself. Feelings of shame, failure, fear and despair engulfed my mind and body. I wanted to run away. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that experience of waking up and feeling almost hopeless. I could not stay in that bed any longer and I didn’t know what to do. My mind had turned this 100 day challenge into a nightmare. I began to focus on my breathing, and I used a new technique I just learned about. I started counting backward. Slowly, my body began to relax and my mind began to yield. I began to see a path forward. I began to forgive myself for not being perfect. I began to give myself a pep talk about starting again, continuing the challenge, becoming stronger from my weakness, understanding that I haven’t failed if I haven’t given up. And I set a plan for the day, the rest of the week, and the rest of the challenge. I began again.
What Happened Then Was Amazing
Allowing myself to just look at the situation from the outside and be kind to myself, but be direct as well, turned my entire attitude around. I methodically prepared my meals, carved out time to workout, and focused on my new good habits throughout the day. I ticked off each action step on my sheet as I accomplished my daily goals. I overcame thoughts of throwing in the towel late in the afternoon (my hardest time of the day). And I pushed forward past the negative thoughts. I remembered to breathe and count backward as these thoughts did their best to derail my day. And the breathing worked.
High Five!
This morning when I woke up, I took time to be thankful for yesterday and my ability to restart, refocus, and return to my good habits. Because I did it yesterday, I know I can do it again today and tomorrow and after the next setback. I know there will be more setbacks, because I’m not perfect. But I know that I can rally and get back on track and continue forward until my new and good habits are happening the majority of the time. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, looked in the mirror and congratulated my future self on achieving my goals through hard work and perseverance, and I gave my future self a high five!
Together, We Can Do This
I hope that my story helps you if you are having a tough time, if you have fallen off track, if you are thinking of throwing in the towel. The beauty of making my Challenge public and inviting you along the process is that the community we’ve created is there for us to celebrate the wins and to help us through the tough bouts.
I’d love to hear how your challenge is going. And remember, you don’t lose unless you quit.
Note: Many of the concepts and hacks I’m using for success come directly from Mel Robbins and her podcast. I encourage you to listen to it. It’s helping me so much.
Resources
These are resources we’ve created for you and some of my favorite resources on goal setting.
100 Day Challenge Habit Checklist Planner and Questionnaire
100 Day Challenge Action Plan and Log Journal
Goal Setting Toolkit: Why Behavior Change Often Fails & How to Set the Right Goals for You
(I LOVE Mel Robbins, and this podcast is pure gold. Check it out to help you zero in on your goals for our 100 day challenge)
Goal Setting Tutorials on JGTV – I created a number of tutorials to help you better understand goal setting. Dive in.
See you next time. Keep going. We got this!