How to make it happen
My goal for this summer was to take off work every Tuesday and have an adventure with my kids. So far, we’ve done 3 of 12 adventures.
No matter what goal you’re working toward, here are four good reminders to make goal-getting easier.
1️⃣It's ok if it feels hard. It’s always uncomfortable for me to walk away from work. My brain believes that Tuesdays are work days. I don’t even need to “fix” this thought, I can just know that it feels unnatural and uncomfortable to “skip work” and do it anyway. This gets me out the door on Tuesdays. Once the adventure starts, I’m all in.
2️⃣Expectations happen. Even if you don’t mean to, you always have expectations for how things should go. When we went to the horse races, I thought my horse-loving Josie would be thrilled. In reality, she mostly complained that it was hot and she wanted to get ice cream. When we went zip lining, I was sure that my always-cautious Oliver would be nervous and might not love it. He was less scared than I was and had the best time. I thought both kids would complain about my idea to have a photo contest when we visited a sculpture park, but they both got super into it. Just notice that you have expectations. If expectations and reality don’t match up, that’s fine! Keep going.
3️⃣Control what you can. No adventure (so far) has made everyone happy. Some adventures are equal parts complaining and fun. Only focus on what you can control, which is your own thoughts and actions. This really helped when Josie was NOT pleased that we drove 45 minutes to see the world's tallest ketchup bottle.
4️⃣Focus on YOU. I love offering my kids new experiences, but I’m choosing to do this for me. Too often we do things out of guilt or trying to please others (namely our kids). It’s totally ok to do something you want to do just because you feel like it.
No matter if your goal is to workout more, work less, spend more time with friends, read more books - these tips will help you get there. If you need help setting goals and staying accountable, I can help! Set up a time with me to learn more about 1 on 1 coaching.
PS for those keeping track, the woman I originally wrote about is now at 35 pull-ups after training for 92 days. She’s got this!