It’s time for a Reality Check.
We need a reality check from time to time, mamas. Life gets busy. Complicated. Stuff happens…or doesn’t. Failing to take a moment and be realistic about where we are and where we want to be is kind of like keeping our head in the sand.
How can we adjust our course if we refuse to acknowledge when we have wandered off from it?
First things first, what’s your course?
If you don’t know what your course is, it’s kind of hard to know if you’re off, right? I’m not an expert at goal setting, but I can tell you that if you don’t define some sort of mark to hit, chances are pretty good that you will never hit anything.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, you just need to know where you’re going.
Once you know where you’re going, you can more easily gauge if you’re at least headed in the right direction.
REALITY CHECK: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail ~Benjamin Franklin
Now, evaluate your actions, or lack thereof.
What are you doing that is helping you reach your goal? Those are good things, keep it up! Are you doing anything that is hindering your progress? I don’t have to say it, right…but stop it!
Easier said than done sometimes, I realize.
There are often many factors driving our negative behaviors. Taking the time to get to the root of those bad habits or negative tendencies is a worthwhile endeavor. We really don’t have time to waste on things that keep us unproductive, ineffective and sidetracked from our goals.
Sometimes, there are circumstances beyond our control.
Not everything is a circumstance beyond our control though, and assuming we can’t do anything about a particular situation isn’t going to help you get where you’re going. Sometimes you need to think outside the box, or ask someone else for insight. But, for those circumstances that you truly can’t change, sometimes you just have to do the best you can and hang in there until that circumstance changes.
REALITY CHECK: Are my circumstances really beyond my control? Am I blaming others or other things for something that is actually my own doing? If it really is beyond my control, is there anything I can do to work around these challenges?
Make adjustments as necessary and put action to them.
Once you have identified what is interfering with you reaching your goal, decide right then what corrective measures to take. Then make it happen.
Again, often easier said than done, but if you don’t try you’ll never get back on track. You can keep doing what isn’t working, or try something new. Your choice! Isn’t that great? You have the freedom to choose. I love that!
REALITY CHECK: Remember the definition of insanity…doing the same thing over and over expecting different results each time. Really, who’s got time for that?
Write this stuff down!
There is something about writing stuff down. It makes it more permanent, in a way. If you write it down, then you have to do it, right? Write it down in a journal, on a dry erase board, make a creative and artistic list on a piece of fancy scrapbook paper. Carve it into stone, if you wish. Just make sure that list is where you will see it every day.
Maybe you hate setting goals. I get that…I can’t say it’s always been my favorite thing either. Guess, what? There’s a book for that! My affiliate partner has both paperback and electronic versions available – The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People who Hate Setting Goals, by Kieth Ellis.
REALITY CHECK: Can I see that list every day? It is especially important for out-of-sight-out-of-mind types to see that list daily!
Make a date to reevaluate your course, and keep it.
Once you have your course of action defined, remember to make a date with yourself for another reality check. You are worth it, seriously. Take yourself out for a fancy cup of coffee. Bring your journal, or your phone with an app like Notepad+, and spend some time looking at what you’ve done that’s working and what is not.
Be brutally honest with yourself, don’t sugar coat anything…that’s one of those things that hinders your progress. Because sugar is bad for you, remember? 😉
REALITY CHECK: Are you regularly evaluating your plan? Are you honest with yourself?
Sounds great, now let’s be real.
All that stuff I just wrote sounds pretty good, right? So let me take my own advice. Here’s my Reality Check for February:
KEEPING IT REAL ABOUT MY THM JOURNEY
What’s the Plan? Live the Trim Healthy Mama Lifestyle 100%. Lose the rest of this weight and keep myself healthy. Exercise regularly.
What’s the Reality? The reality is that since I got back from the most amazing trip I’ve ever taken in my entire life, the one that motivated me to start Trim Healthy Mama in the first place, I have gotten lazy. I’ve let too many “cheats” in. I’ve flat out not cared about what I was eating at least once a week. The brutally honest reality is that I’ve gained back some weight. Some of my clothes are starting to feel a little snug. I don’t feel so great anymore…both physically and emotionally, because I’ve let myself down. I’m not exercising, at all.
What Changes am I going to make?
- Pray daily. Pray for the strength to make good choices and resist temptation.
- Quit telling myself “Just this once” – remember when I first started THM, regain that same determination and quit making excuses for off-plan choices.
- Remember that my health depends on what I put in my body. I must make good, on-plan choices.
- Plan my meals – and stick to the plan.
- Exercise – that means doing TTap Basic Workout Plus because it works, and I can do a 15 minute workout!
- Be accountable for every bite. Log every thing I eat or drink every day. Using my YouFood app (formerly TwoGrand) helps me stay accountable, but even then I can easily choose not to post something. Join a challenge group to help me stay motivated.
- Choose a weight loss goal and reward for reaching it. When my clothes start getting loose again, buy a new outfit. A brand new outfit, not a thrift store one this time. On clearance though, since I won’t be wearing it long. Why not choose a number of pounds lost? Because the scale is just one representation of weight loss, and not always accurate. How my clothes fit is a better indicator, and I don’t want to be a slave to the scale and numbers.
This was hard to write, to be honest.
I don’t want to admit I’ve fallen off the wagon, but the truth is, I have. I am not defeated, just off course. I can get back on track, the choice is up to me.
This is a collage of what I did, thanks to Trim Healthy Mama. I’m going to print this reality check out and put it where I see it every day, because I’m an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of person. I need a visual reminder of what I can accomplish when I resolve to do something.
Join me on the first Monday of every month for Reality Check Monday.
Since a reality check is a good thing, join me here on the first Monday of every month. Let’s get real about where we are and encourage one another. I’d love to hear your own Reality Check for today if you’d like to share, so please leave a comment below!
Visit Oh Sweet Mercy on Facebook and share your own reality check, follow me on YouFood (@OhSweetMercy) or Instagram and use the hashtag #realitycheckmonday
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Michelle F says
Those are some great tips. I tend to reach my goals when I write them down.
Scott says
I tend to let those cheats in also. Then I end up regretting it the next day.
dawnyoder says
Absolutely Scott. In the moment it’s awesome but boy the consequences later sure aren’t.
Jess Benoit says
I feel like you wrote this for me! I do not make New Year’s resolutions but apparently I did absentmindedly this year. I am on a decluttering journey and that was on my mind while reading this post. Thanks!
dawnyoder says
You’re welcome! I have several things I need a RC on but this one is top priority. If I’m not healthy, I can’t function well at home and my family gets the short end of the stick 😉 I wish you well with decluttering, I know how difficult that can be!
Crystal says
Writing it down makes things feel manageable for me. I need lists, deadlines, and a plan. Life throws curveballs a little too frequently!
Nicole Escat says
Setting a smart goal is better, and being organize with goals are really doing great.