Most people are not too hip on this idea of acknowledging our own achievements.
We are our top critics. Nothing is good enough,
and we always expect more, More, MORE from the person we most need to give a
little bit of breathing room to- ourselves!
It’s interesting- we all have goals, right? Whether we write them down,
or keep them in or heads, or call them something else- we all have something
that we want. And all those things that we want, whether they are experiences
or material things, or whatever, they all require us to take some sort of action.
Many of our goals require that we take a sequence of actions in order to get the
results we want.
Let’s look at an example- hey, I know, how about WEIGHT LOSS!? So, say someone
has a weight loss goal, they want to lose 10 pounds. This requires a series of actions.
They must exercise 3 or more times per week, and shift their diet so they are bringing
in fewer and more potent calories. Easier said than done. And they may need to do
more than that depending on their situation.
Say that person with the weight loss goal starts on this path, starts to exercise 3x per
week, and shifts their diet. After a few days they notice that their energy has improved,
and after a few more days they notice all the cool ways that that extra energy impacts their
life. But they don’t write it down, they don’t really acknowledge it. It’s no big deal, right?
They actually forget about that energy boost. They didn’t lose any weight yet, so nothing has
happened. In their mind, it’s not good enough. They are failing.
But they AREN’T! Something HAS happened! We must take note of these small shifts in order to
allow in the big change we are going for! When you don’t acknowledge your accomplishments,
you soon forget what they are. Then you look back and think- oh nothing is happening- I suck,
and what do you think happens then? You give up on the whole goal. You efforts, as far as you
can tell, have had no payoffs, no positive results, so why keep trying?
Do you see now why it is so important to acknowledge your accomplishments? So
you will SEE the steps you are taking! As you are living your life, you are ALWAYS
taking actions and making decisions. Are they the decisions and actions that will
push you in the direction you want to go? Or away from? Decide what is your goal,
and then acknowledge ANY little step along the path towards that goal.
Your changes happen in pops and fits and starts, and if you don’t keep track of those
little pushes forward, then your mind, in it’s limited capacity, will not validate you. It
will always tell you you’re not good enough. So you’ve got to work around that. You want
to be able to consciously look at what you’ve done and impress yourself. Feel the work
you’ve done AND the awesome results you have gotten!
My suggestion is to keep a notebook by your bed and write in it 3 things every night
that you accomplished that day. When you go back over it, even if the accomplishments
seem ‘small’ at the time, you will be amazed! I’m going to go write in mine right now.
Your Fitness Coach,
Miranda Zukowski