This is a good point in our series to take a step back and look at how well we have been implementing any changes in our lives - whether that be from the takeaways of the Human Design series or the Magical Living series. When we are presented with information like this we tend to say I will implement it later or come back and revisit later and then never actually do anything to change, or at least that’s what I do.
And sometimes after realizing we never follow through, we will rush to make as many changes as possible and end up overwhelming ourselves or creating a situation that is not sustainable. Then we sabotage or consider ourselves a failure.
But, there is another way… And, it is super easy. Take it in baby steps.
I have worked with a lot of women who have what I call a Rebellious Soul. I have a Rebellious Soul that bucks whatever feels too constricting or unsustainable, and it hates being told what to do - even by me! I can’t tell you how many times after meal prepping on the weekend that Tuesday will arrive and I give myself the middle finger because I don’t want to have whatever I have prepared for dinner that night. I like to make my own choices in the moment. So, I have learned to stop forcing myself to plan too far ahead and to allow for a lot of independent choices in the moment. In the case of meal planning, I make myself a list of possible dinner choices and choose one that night, rather than making a schedule. It makes me happier to have freedom of choice and whenever my soul is happy, I am successful.
I read a book by Martha Beck many years ago about making change (it may have been her Joy Diet book, I can’t remember) but in it she talks about breaking down your goal into the tiniest steps possible. If you want to work out and actually doing it seems to be too overwhelming for you - break it down into baby steps. Maybe today you just put on your workout clothes and wear them for awhile. After a couple days of that maybe you drive to the gym but just stay in the parking lot. Then after a couple days of that, you get out of the car and walk in the building. Each baby bite-sized goal you decide in the moment whether you will do more. When you break down your goals to the tiniest bit, its easy to feel successful and that will eventually motivate you to do more.
I recently shared on social media that I was having a hard time overcoming the mental blocks to beginning to move my body more. So, I took this advice and I had a goal to work out only 5 minutes a day. And that was so easy I found myself doing it a few more times a day. Then I moved it up to 10 minutes a few times a week. I am now up to 20 minutes 4 times a week - and I usually complete those 20 minutes a few times a day, 5 or 6 times a week. It feels like an easy goal to accomplish and I get a high from doing it more often than my goal. I did try once moving the bar from 4 times a week to 6 times (I have a habit tracking app) and I stopped working out all together. The motivation dropped right out of me after moving that goal post up. The fun was gone for me. So, I moved it back and went back to crushing my low goal every week. The goal post doesn’t have to always be moving forward. It’s fine to find your groove and to that with baby steps.