You’ve started chasing goals and you’ve had some great success along the way, but now you’re starting to feel your motivation dropping. You’re stoked by how far you’ve come, but you’re wondering whether you can stick with your plans for the long haul.
The good news is that you’ve proven that you CAN do what you’ve set out to do!
And it’s important to realise that the stage you’re at is completely normal. Even the most successful people around go through stages where they need to pause, take stock and recommit to their goals to keep their momentum going.
Why maintaining your momentum matters
If you’ve already experienced some success, you may think the basic principles no longer apply, but they absolutely do!
While your confidence has undoubtedly grown and you’ve become comfortable with what you need to do, it’s easy to become complacent and slip back into old ways of doing things.
That’s why it’s important to revisit the basics whenever you feel a drop in your positive momentum.
For a refresher on how momentum is the first pillar of building healthy habits, check out my blog post, How to Establish Momentum – The First Step Towards Lasting Success.
How to maintain momentum
In addition to reviewing the basic principles that got your started on a pathway to success, there are a few other things you should be doing to keep the momentum fires burning.
Give some or all of the ideas below a go next time you need a boost.
Visualise success
Taking time to visualise what success looks like to you is something you should be doing every day – and it is especially helpful when you want to recommit to your journey.
Imagine what life will be like when you achieve your goals – the sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Most importantly, FEEL how you imagine you’ll feel.
When you do this, you mind will respond as if you are actually having those experiences. This helps because you’ll find it easier to behave in ways that match up with your goals.
This is an easy way to keep moving in the right direction.
Smash through your comfort zone
If you’re someone who’s had success a number of times – but only a bit of success – you may be living within your comfort zone.
For example, you may notice that you easily get down to a certain weight but as soon as you reach it, you fall off the wagon, even though you’re still miles from your goal.
This may seem strange because your really, REALLY want to be on the other side of that comfort zone!
Even so, comfort zones are tough to push through.
This is where it helps to be mindful of where your comfort zone lies. You’ll need to smash through it but do so with the awareness that as you pass through to the other side, the temptation to return to it (consciously or unconsciously) will be strong.
Embrace the discomfort. Take time to acknowledge and process it. Be extra-diligent about following the right steps. And before you know it, your comfort zone will have grown to fit your new, wider world.
Make time for self-care
If you’re chasing down goals, this one can be tricky! But it’s super important to keep yourself mentally refuelled.
Make time each day (and allow extra time on weekends) to do things that feed your soul. Spend time on a hobby, play with your pet, spend time outdoors or indulge in a juicy novel.
Whatever you do, ENJOY it, for no reason other than that it feels good.
Celebrate your successes
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your successes along the way!
Break your massive goal into a series of mini-goals and as you reach each one, treat the occasion with the respect it deserves!
Often people skip this step because they think, ‘I’m still fat/in debt/working in a dead-end job. What am I supposed to celebrate?’ but the truth is, YOU ARE ON A JOURNEY.
If you’d never taken the first step, you would be right back at the start, but because you HAVE started, you’ve moved yourself from ‘stuck’ to ‘on your way’.
By acknowledging the small milestones appropriately, you honour the journey you’re on. It sends a message that the effort you’ve made is worthwhile. And this makes it so much easier to repeat that effort again tomorrow.
A little extra inspiration
If you’ve been smashing your small goals but feel yourself slipping, take the time to try the suggestions above.
Keen for an extra boost of inspiration?
Join the Healthy Habit Hierarchy Academy (H3A). This exclusive H3A learning academy offers every resource you need to master your life, so you can live fully and authentically in every way that matters to you. You’ll get access to self-paced online courses and take part in fun monthly challenges.
PLUS choose from the wide range of exercises, worksheets, and a huge vault of exclusive member-only resources to further propel you towards everything you’ve ever dreamed possible.
