People will typically quit just prior to realizing the change they desire. Let’s say we’re talking about weight loss or workout consistency, which represent the most common goals in terms of lifestyle change. An individual will start out strong, radically changing their eating and join a gym, and when results are not apparent early on they throw in the towel. Quite often, they will develop a pattern of try-fail-quit which runs on repeat across their lifetime. It’s a foolish but all too common a phenomenon to avoid.

I believe that the fix for this problem is to start awarding ourselves partial credit. We’ve all heard of short term and long term goals…well, it seems to be human nature to focus on the finish line and overlook the milestones along the way. While an all-or-nothing work ethic is admittedly appealing, our chances with that are 50-50. What’s the point if we fail and lose interest a good percentage of the time? I think it wise to get in the habit of celebrating the small but significant victories.

Balance out your sense of reward and punishment and stop kicking your own ass. However small the victory, give yourself some credit. Think of this as a battle won in the course of winning the war. As my mother often reminds me, “Sometimes you need to wrap yours arms around Aaron.” Can’t believe I’m quoting her but it’s true.

Don’t hate, MOTIVATE!