Getting to the Other Side of Your Wellness Journey | Reaching Your Goals

It's easy to imagine what it's like to reach our goals.  Whether is living a smoke-free lifestyle, being 50 pounds lighter, or crossing the finish line of a 5k marathon race. We often think of the results.  This is great because it can serve as a motivational factor to get the wellness wheels turning.  However, envisioning ourselves meeting our goals versus envisioning the work it takes to reach our goals often creates a disconnect in understanding the work it takes to reach our wellness goals.  Envisioning the end goal is the easy part of the wellness journey; however, actualizing and putting in the work can be the hardest part.

 Most of us tend to be outcome-driven.  No one rarely tells you, or shows you, what it took to reach their goals. In the age of heavy social media, we often see the before and after images of what success looks like. But we rarely see the grit.  We see the healthier version of people, the happiest, and the whole version. Still, we don't see the rollercoaster of emotional and physical adverse effects many often experience while on a wellness journey.

 So, what does it take to get to the other side?  I think envisioning your healthier self is a great start, as we all have that piece of motivation but as my previous posts emphasize, motivation is not enough.  We need the vision, along with a solid plan to get us through the ups and downs of a wellness journey. A solid plan will encompass multiple plans, or systems, to get us through the journey.  We must develop a diligent mindset and develop and implement effective behaviors to create systems and follow through.  Our created systems will serve as the anchor of our wellness journey and will serve as the key elements in getting us through the other side.

 Viewing the mountain from the ground up can be difficult, scary, and unmotivating. However, viewing your wellness journey in this manner is needed to realize how difficult the wellness journey can be.  There is a high probability of relapse while on a wellness journey, but having a realistic view and a behavioral-based relapse plan embedded in your wellness journey will help decrease your chances of permanent relapse.  

 So what is your viewpoint on getting to the other side?  Do you have a realistic view of what your journey will take, the grit and consistency needed to reach your wellness goals? What about a relapse plan? Think about what's needed to help you get to the other side of the success of your journey.