The key to success in any area of your life is confidence. I like to think of it as a secret weapon that helps you keep doubt and guilt at bay. It’s your very own super power that you can (and should) develop and nourish over the coming weeks and months. Starting to make progress can be a great confidence builder. Don’t be afraid to go back to taking small baby steps whenever you feel like you’re losing confidence in yourself or feelings of guilt start trying to creep back in because of the time you are investing in yourself, or you’re stressing out about how monumental the task is.
Setting and reaching milestone goals are another great way to break it down and boost your confidence in yourself. As the old adage goes, You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time. If your goal is to lose a large amount of weight, break it down into 10 pound increments and focus all your energy on reaching that next 10-pound loss. Celebrate your successes. The same works when you’re paying off debt. Start with one credit card for example and get it paid off. Reaching those smaller goals are a great confidence booster.
Tracking your overall progress is another great way to feel like you’re making progress. Sometimes it’s hard to see how far you’ve come in the day to day activates of regular life. Chart your progress on a calendar, a large graph hanging on your fridge, in a document on your computer, or even in an app on your phone. Look at how far you’ve come whenever you feel like giving up. It’s nice to have a visual reminder that what you’re doing is working and giving you the results you want and need.
Last but not least, find some supporters to cheer you on and tell you how well you’re doing. This could be a close friend or family member, or it could be a group of like-minded people that you connect with locally or online. The beautiful thing about the internet is that we can find people with the same or similar goals in lots of groups and forums. Facebook groups for people struggling with the same issues are great places to connect, compare tips, ideas, and results, and of course celebrate each other successes and serve as a source of encouragement. The most important part is that you never give up. Keep going and keep working towards creating the life you’ve always wanted.