fbpx

Wow. I lost a big fat (pun intended) whopping ZERO pounds so far this month. And it wasn’t for lack of trying. This failure can potentially influence me to quit my goal, but I know that will just make it worse! And what if I missed progress I had made because I hadn’t been setting realistic goals?

So…back to the drawing board.

We all have our things, don’t we? Those seemingly unreachable goals that we continually strive toward but just keep on missing?

Meanwhile, we are likely missing other goals we never made along the way, fruit from our efforts that is perhaps not so visible because these achievements are overshadowed by THE goal that looms large over the lesser goals that were never made.

So what if we never make our goal? Maybe instead of giving up we make a more realistic goal…in fact, a whole bunch of them…

Celebrate the smaller goals

Every single day we achieve smaller goals that cry out for some attention. Maybe you avoided the heavy calorie-laden creamer and opted for a healthier option. CELEBRATE THIS WIN! But not with the heavy calorie-laden creamer, lol. Have a chart or some type of system—a jar where you can pick a prize (not food, since that seems to be the issue here)—and reward yourself in the moment. Or watch your right choices add up on a chart that leads to a reward that is meaningful to you. Celebrating the smaller goals paves the way to reaching the bigger goal.

Celebrate any losses

Ok, this can be taken two ways. Celebrate when you lose even a couple ounces if your goal is weight loss, or celebrate when you mess up. WHAT?! WHY?! Because you did not keep going down that road and recognized your failure. That’s something right? Perhaps more important than the goal itself is our character and perseverance in the pursuit of our goals.

Celebrate Status Quo

What if you did not budge either way? Celebrate! (Do you notice a pattern here?) Why not? Maintaining is saying something! You held your ground.

When we recognize the little things they add up to big things.

Now that we have celebrated (A LOT!) Perhaps setting realistic goals might keep us from abandoning ship or being discouraged.

Setting Realistic Goals: Progress

Any progress IS Progress! What are some markers that indicate progress for you? New habits that are starting to stick? Set some super small goals that will serve as steps toward your goal. If you are like me, I want to write down EVERYTHING on my To Do list because I want the satisfaction of crossing it off. Write down all the goals and leave the crossed off goals in plain sight to remind you that you are making progress.

Setting Realistic Goals: Process

God cares so much more about the process than whether we achieved our goal. Having victory over defeat by setting our mind on higher goals like having godly character and glorifying God whether we win or lose shapes our attitude and can lead to victory. What process do you use when you make your goals? Are your goals off the cuff or realistically thought out and planned? Hope is not a plan and even good plans can fail sometimes, but having a process helps us to get back in the saddle the next month.

Mindset Hack of the Week

Let’s get SMART about our goals. I have used SMART goals to help me set realistic goals that are specific, achievable, realistic, time-bound, and measurable. Here is a worksheet to help you do the same.

The mindset hack graphic this week is a reminder that we can set goals that are realistic. We will fall flat on our face sometimes…ok, many times, but we can get back up and acknowledge the smaller goals, progress, and where we did not give in or give up. Then we can tweak our goals as necessary!

Check out the Shame Rx Blog this week, too, to learn how Your Worth Isn’t Tied to Your Goals.

All for Jesus,

Denise

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This