Goals. You should have them and they should be big. Right?

So here’s the deal. You should totally have goals, and they should totally be big, HOWEVER, those big, scary goals can also hurt you. You see, big goals are good, but only if they come with an action plan and smaller goals to measure your progress by. Otherwise, they become an unattainable dream. One that we get discouraged from when it seems like we are making no progress.

Think about it. How many times have you said you wanted to do something and it’s never gotten done because you didn’t know where to start. Or you started, but it didn’t seem like you were making much progress, so you just stopped?

For example, have you ever had what seems like a large amount of weight you wanted to lose but you didn’t know how to go about doing it? So you just started doing anything and everything, cutting carbs, counting calories, ect., but because you’re flying by my the seat of your pants, you didn’t really lose any weight, got discouraged, and stopped? And that’s when the scale started to go up instead of down? Sound familiar?

Once you set your goal, it’s super important to have smaller goals, and a plan, to help you achieve your bigger goal. For example, my goal is to lose 20 more pounds (I’ve already lost 56). That’s a great goal, but now I need a plan to get me there. Right now my plan is the particular workout program that I am following (I have many to chose from) and my smaller goals are my daily activities. Each day I make it my goal to drink my shake, do my workout, and follow the meal plan. Focusing on, and completing those daily goals will give me a sense of accomplishment that will help me keep going and before I know it, those 20 pounds will be gone.

Of course there will also be times when I will need to adjust my plan if it isn’t working anymore and that’s okay too. For example, I may finish my current program and want to try a different program and that’s fine as long as I have a plan at all times.

This also makes it easy to access why you’re not achieving your goals. At the end of the week I can ask myself, “How many days did I exercise? How many days did I drink my shake?” (That’s the easy one to stick to.) “How on point was I with my nutrition?” These were all the questions I asked myself during my 56 pounds weight loss journey.

My original goal of losing the 45 pounds I gained during my second pregnancy was really intimidating. I had this huge goal I set for myself and it seemed like meeting that goal was nowhere in sight. And that can be horrible for your motivation and self esteem. It almost makes you feel like there is no point in trying. But that’s why you need a plan. And you also need smaller, measurable goals. Think of it like this- you wouldn’t go hiking without the proper equipment right? If you went hiking in a dress and high heels with no water or food, you would be setting yourself up to fail. Also, along that trail there are mile markers to help you determine how far you’ve come, how much further you need to go, and so you can set small goals along the way. Like, every 1/2 mile I will stop for a break to stretch my legs and get water. Setting smaller goals to hike 1/2 mile at a time will make it seem much better than the larger goal of a couple miles.

This applies to all the goals we have in life. Whether the goal is to lose weight, to help our children accomplish something, or to hit a goal at work, you need a plan and smaller goals to measure the progress of your larger goal.

When I was a teacher, my goal was always to help my students acquire the skills and knowledge they needed to work towards independence and to meet grade level standards academically. But I didn’t do this without a plan! There was a curriculum, daily lesson plans, and assessments along the way to see if what/how I was teaching was working. If it wasn’t, then I picked a different way to present the material. My plan changed, but my goal remained the same.

It’s no secret that as moms we don’t have a lot of spare time. In fact, we may not have any at all. So we really can’t waste our times figuring it out on our own. Fortunately, in today’s world, we don’t have to figure much out on our own. Really, anything you want to accomplish, you can google and it comes up how to do it. So why waste your time reinventing the wheel? ESPECIALLY when it comes to weight loss.

We know that diet + exercise = weight loss. But its much easier said than done. Sure you can do things like cut carbs, but that’s not healthy to eat such a high fat diet and it’s a quick fix becasue it’s not a sustainable lifestyle. It’s important to pick something that works for you and is something that you can do for the long term. Also, it should be something that if you have an off day you won’t ruin all your results (like say you have a carb on the keto diet- hello diet ruined). Because, let’s face it, you’re a mom and you are going to have those days for sure.

I am speaking from experience. Even with having a plan I have days where nothing goes right; Days where I want (and do) stick my head in a tub of icing (yes, I love to eat a container of icing!) and choose to forget I was even on a plan, and that’s okay to. It’s also why you need something sustainable for the long run.

Lucky for you, if weight loss is your goal, I have a plan that works. One that you don’t have to figure out on your own. If you are having trouble with your goals, you can check out my plan here. I am always just an email away!