Make Smaller Commitments for Bigger Transformations

Think about the days when you’ve overbooked yourself, those days when you have so much on your schedule that you aren’t sure where you’ll fit in lunch. 

Those days are exhausting, intimidating, and frankly, aren’t always that productive. Why? Because they easily overwhelm your sense of “can do”.

The same thing happens when you set yourself lofty fitness goals. If you commit to losing 50 pounds by the end of the year, you might be setting yourself up for failure. If you tell yourself that you are giving up all meat and dairy (foods that you’ve eaten, and loved, your whole life), there’s a good chance you won’t be able to follow through.

And that’s what counts, really: follow through.

The only plan that will work for you is the plan you’re willing to work for.

If you aren’t willing to follow the plan (2 weeks down the road, 1 month down the road, 1 year down the road), the plan won’t work.

Create Bite-Sized Goals

Set yourself up for success but setting goals that are manageable and attainable. 

Instead of setting up a goal that leaves no wiggle room, allow yourself some space to be a human.

Don’t try to stick to a meal plan at every meal of every day. Instead, try to eat healthy MOST of the time and allow yourself to relax and treat yourself every now and then.

Don’t promise to go to the gym every single day. Commit to 3 days at first. Once you get that down, add a 4th.

Make Your Goals SMART Goals

SMART goals are:

Specific, aka simple and to the point.

Measurable, aka you should be able to tell when you’ve accomplished your goal (so that you can reward yourself, duh).

Attainable, aka read above about creating small, achievable goals.

Realistic, aka if you aren’t a basketball player, don’t commit to playing in the NBA.

Time-Bound, your commitment should at least give you a sense of inspiration and drive to succeed by a certain time.

Think Big Picture

There is a reason that fad diets are so popular: they promise results in 15-days, 30-days, overnight (!) if you just __________________. 

The reality: REAL change, change that lasts a life-time, takes time. 

Stop thinking about what you can do right now to change tomorrow. 

Start thinking about what you can do today to change your forever.

Drinking plenty of water, taking an omega-3 or multivitamin, getting 8 hours of sleep per night, eating more fruit and vegetables (in addition to your regular meals)…

These are big picture commitments.

Will drinking water help you to lose 5 pounds in 1 week? No. But it’s maintainable, it’s one of the healthiest things you can do for your body and you WILL notice a difference in your mood and energy level within days.

Big picture commitments take this into account: you want to be around, living the life you love for a long time to come. 

What’s more important than that?

Commit to a Healthier Mindset

The changes that take you from today to forever begin here, with your mindset. 

I’m asking you to reassess how you think about yourself, how you believe in yourself and ultimately how you treat yourself. That’s a lofty goal.

But it’s smaller than you think.

Spend 5 minutes a day writing in a gratitude journal. When you catch yourself comparing your body or your career or your love life or your abilities to someone else, stop and remind yourself of the things you love about being you. Start saying no. Start saying yes. Take charge of your own happiness.

None of these things are so massive in the moment that they become unmanageable. In fact, every one of them takes less time and effort than making dinner at home or going to the gym.

But think about the consequences of these kinds of commitments.

Think about how life changing they could be for you.

Dream big, but build yourself steps to get there.