If you are contemplating or have decided upon a health or weight loss goal, you have made a huge proactive step in your life, so congratulations!
So now that you are committed, what happens next? And what if you make that one tiny misstep? If you’re like most, you’ll feel the strong urge to give-up, throw your hands up in the air and say “it isn’t in the cards for me” or continue beating yourself up. The key that unlocks your true potential and your success comes from not just how you talk yourself through ‘those’ moments, but also having a plan so you can create lasting change – not change for a week or a month.
Having a goal is critical to success. So many do not really know what they want and thus are swayed much like a ship without a sail.
Achieve Your Goals With Impactful Actions
Now that you have decided on your big vision and what you want to achieve, you have to make it happen!
Lasting changes does not come from sporadic, half-hearted actions. They come from commitment that delivers consistent action.
You cannot become the next, new and improved version of YOU if you make a decision from where you are today (it’s those decisions that keep you stuck!). Make a decision from where you want to be – ask yourself, what would that new YOU do?
- Decide to commit to taking consistent action to achieve the results that you desire.
- Based on the decision, ask yourself “what action do I need to take based on that decision?”
Let’s say you want to lose 10 pounds and feel confident. Your decision is to stop eating processed foods and add more whole foods into your diet. Some of the actions that can support this decision can include going through your pantry to throw out unhealthy food items, or make a grocery shopping a weekly routine – action is key!
Your action item: Write down your decision and then list 3 specific actions that you commit to taking consistently to help you achieve your goals. When are you going to be taking those actions? Schedule them on your calendar or smart phone!
Supercharge Your Goal-Achieving Actions
Now that you have your goals, you’ve made the decision to commit and know the action you need to take, let’s refine your action plan to help you experience results sooner rather than later.
Here are 4 tips that will help you create an impactful action plan:
- State your goals and your action in the positive – this will get your subconscious mind on board.
- Make sure these actions are under your control – not only will you feel more empowered to put in the effort; you will also create less stress for yourself by eliminating factors that you cannot influence.
- Chunk down the items to small steps and milestones so you feel a sense of accomplishment, which will boost your motivation to take the next step. Set a short time frame for each of these milestones to avoid procrastination.
- If you consistently fall short of accomplishing your action items, take a good honest look to see what is not working. Are you setting a goal that is too ambitious and did not chunk it down to small, time-bound and achievable steps? Do you set up a goal that requires you to put in 10 hours of effort a week, but in reality you only have 5 hours a week to devote to it? Do you truly believe that you can achieve your goal, or are there fears blocking you from taking the required actions?
Your action item: refine your goals using the tips above, and create an action plan that you can commit to.
The foundation of weight loss success is centered upon creating new habits. If you can create bad habits, you can create new beneficial ones. Consistent repetition of actions and positive, self-confident thoughts are the cornerstone to your success. When motivation wanes, always go back to your ‘why’ ~ why you wanted weight loss in the first place. I talk more about this in my book ‘How To Fight Fatflammation!’
One more action item: Take pride in the process, not in the results.
See you next time,
~Lori
© 2015 DLS HealthWorks, LLC. Lori Shemek, PhD, CNC, health and weight loss expert is the best-selling author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn! Sign-up for Dr. Lori’s free monthly newsletter with free gifts!
LORI SHEMEK, Ph.D., is a leading researcher in fat cells and the owner of DLSHealthWorks, a company she created to help men and women conquer their issues with weight and self-esteem. Her work has been featured in Ladies’ Home Journal, Shape, Woman’s Day, The Rikki Lake Show, ABC, CNN, NPR, FOX News, and The Huffington Post, which recognized her as one of the nation’s top diet and nutrition experts.
Dr. Shemek holds a Doctorate in Psychology; she is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and a Certified Life Coach.
©2020 DLS HealthWorks
