"Striving for excellence is a positive quality. Striving for perfection is self-defeating." — Melody Beattie
"I just need to get back on track." If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that...🤑 A summer of inactivity. A weekend of overindulgence. An intense work week. All are common obstacles that can make it challenging to stay "on track" with your wellness goals. But we can't talk about how to stay on or get back on track, without first getting clear about what being "on track" even means.
How do YOU define being "on track" with your goals?
If you're like most of the chronic dieters I work with, then being "on track" might look like:
Not eating any sugar
Not drinking any alcohol
Going to the gym 5x/week
Hitting 10,000 steps every day
Tracking all of your calories
And if so, well...it's no surprise that staying on track may be a challenge for you. Because your "track" is more like a tightrope... There's no room for ANY deviation without things ending in complete disaster.
So, if have you have gotten "off track" lately,
You could just climb back up onto a precariously high and narrow rope (and set yourself up for yet another big fall)...
Or, you could set yourself up for success by redefining what it means to be "on track".
My husband and I came across this set of railroad tracks while on a hike over the weekend.
Do you notice the difference between them and the tightrope image above?
👉 There's SPACE.
Space to take a little side step...
Space to sit down for a quick break...
Space to walk a bit crooked...
...all while staying within the boundaries of the rails.
I can stay "on track" without always walking in a perfectly straight line.
How does this translate into your goals?
It's the difference between expecting perfection but ending up disappointed in yourself...
And,
Expecting excellence but being flexible with yourself.
When we strive for excellence rather than perfection, we aim high AND grant ourselves SPACE...that little bit of wiggle room....for mistakes that we will inevitably make and for lessons we haven't learned yet.
In practice that might mean:
Setting a goal to workout 3-5 times every week, with 5 being excellent and 3 being pretty OK.
Or,
Setting a boundary of having no more than 1 dessert per week during "normal times" and no more than 3 per week during "vacation times".
Or
Setting a goal to meditate for 1-10 minutes everyday.
By giving yourself a RANGE goal rather than an EXACT goal, you remove the constant pressure of trying to walk that metaphorical tightrope of perfection, while still moving in the direction of your goal(s).
It really is a win-win.
So, if you're struggling with staying on or getting back on track with your wellness goals,
👉 Consider widening your track.
Give yourself a little more space "between the rails", rather than trying to teeter along a narrow line.
Aim for excellence, not perfection.
Comments