Use Setbacks to Strengthen Your Commitment

Life is hard sometimes.

You have so many responsibilities and so little time. Even when you stick to a schedule, circumstances can disrupt your plans and leave you scrambling. It’s enough to make you want to give up when everything seems to be working against you.

But don’t – please!

It happens to everyone. After all, there’s only so much we can control – and a whole universe of people, places and things that are simply beyond us. When you learn to EXPECT disruption, and to simply accept it as a fact of life, then you can begin to be free of it.

Here’s a super-basic example. My husband hates being late…I tend to be a procrastinator (I think I can get one more thing done before I leave). However, by leaving early instead of just on time, it allows for traffic or another unexpected delay. Then, if we arrive on time, we have a few minutes to spare. If the journey took longer than expected, we’d still be on time…I’m still working on getting better at this 😉

This little lesson is even easy to apply to health goals.

For example, if you want to lose weight, then it’s not enough to start eating right. You also have to anticipate days when you won’t be able to, for whatever reason. Maybe you’re stuck in a work conference, or traveling, or just can’t resist your neighbor’s fried chicken today.

If you want to train at the gym regularly, then you have to accept that you’ll need rest days. That the gym might be unexpectedly closed sometimes. That you might have a family emergency that keeps you away.

Here’s my wish for you. When these circumstances happen – and they will – don’t abandon your goals. Instead, remember that success takes consistent effort over time. Use each setback to strengthen the commitment you made to yourself.

It’s all in how you look at it!

If this message resonates with you, comment “consistency” below.