Making meaningful changes in your life, such as losing weight or getting in shape, doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and patience, and because of that, it’s easy to dwell on a setback, even minor ones.
Eating an extra helping of dessert, having takeout instead of your planned dinner, or skipping your workout because something came up can awaken your inner critic and make you feel bad about your actions or lack thereof.
It’s hard work to change your behavior, yet you’re more apt to berate yourself for being bad, evoking a feeling of complete failure just from those small moments of weakness. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Setbacks Will Happen
Life happens, and setbacks are part of the course. How you react to them will dictate how long it takes you to reach your goals. Everything will not go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong or failed. It’s just a minor bump in the road, and setbacks are nothing in the grand scheme of things.
It helps to shift your mindset from dwelling on mistakes to focusing on getting back on track. It’s okay to recognize when a setback happens, but it’s all about how you react and move forward. Do you beat yourself up and dwell on a mistake, or do you learn from it and take action?
How To Work Through Setbacks
If you’re working on improving your quality of life, you will encounter setbacks along the way. It’s difficult not to be hard on yourself when mistakes happen. After all, you’re trying really hard to reach your goals. You’re not alone. Everyone will make mistakes and struggle from time to time.
You will run into situations where you miss a workout or want to indulge in your favorite foods. A good plan will let you indulge in moderation and have flexibility. Embrace the fact that setbacks will happen and that you can course correct easily, such as moving your workout to another time or changing your behavior to minimize repeating the same mistake.
The good news is that a single setback will not negate all your hard work. It may feel like that in the moment, but the reality is that if you’re consistent and following your plan most of the time, one setback is nothing. However, if you dwell on it, it may lead to feelings of failure or set you on the path to repeat the same behavior that turns into a bad habit.
Maintaining consistency is key. If you miss a workout because you were busy, make it a priority to do your next one to avoid falling into a pattern of inactivity. You don’t have to work extra hard on your next workout. You just have to do it.
The Benefits Of Mistakes And Setbacks
You won’t reach your goals if you give up. But setbacks and mistakes are essential for learning, improving, and growing. If everything always went right the first time, how would you apply what you learned from mistakes to other areas in your life? In the right mindset, mistakes are the best teachers.
Mistakes show that something about the approach, mindset, or behavior didn’t work. Instead of seeing a mistake as a roadblock, use it as valuable feedback to adjust and try again.
Mistakes show gaps in your knowledge. They usually happen because they highlight a blind spot in your skills or awareness. Learn from the outcome, improving your knowledge and understanding. As a result, you’re more equipped to succeed when similar scenarios arise.
The more mistakes you encounter and learn from, the more you train your brain to be adaptable and less reactive when things don’t go according to plan. Treating mistakes like a puzzle will tap into your creativity and resourcefulness to adapt. In fact, you may be better equipped to recognize mistakes happening in the moment and correct them in real-time.
Over time, mistakes help you refine and perfect your own personal style that works best for you, especially when approaching new challenges and goals. As a result, you may reach your goals faster and with less friction because of the trials and errors of past mistakes. So, instead of being afraid to make a mistake, embrace them.
It’s Okay To Start Over
What if you repeatedly encounter the same setbacks or make the same mistakes? That doesn’t mean you’ve failed and should give up—far from it. It’s not uncommon to have a goal that is too ambitious or not well-defined, like many New Year’s resolutions. So, instead of throwing in the towel, regroup and redefine.
Start by knowing your why. Your why is your inner compass and personal motivation that keeps you going when times get tough. It’s the emotional anchor that reminds you why your goal matters, making it more meaningful and realistic to achieve. So, with your why in mind, the next step is to create goals that align with them.
SMART goal-setting is a framework for creating a plan to accomplish a goal. In fact, it is an effective way to plan for any life goal, no matter how big or small. SMART goals help you lay the groundwork for creating specific, achievable goals, increasing your chances of accomplishing them.
Knowing your why and defining your goals will significantly increase your chances of reaching them. However, there is more you can do to increase your chances of succeeding even more.
Tracking Your Progress Helps
Unfortunately, you can’t remember everything. Tracking yourself is a great way to chronicle your journey. Tracking your progress keeps you motivated. It shows you how far you’ve come, such as how much longer you can exercise or how much weight you’ve lost. It also reminds you that setbacks won’t erase all your hard work.
Tracking helps you identify patterns, instead of guessing why you’re struggling. If you consistently miss morning workouts, perhaps you should try midday or evening workouts instead. If stress leads to unhealthy choices, tracking your eating habits can help create a meal plan and shift your mindset toward mindful eating.
Tracking also reduces the mindset of all-or-nothing. You may think you’ll fail if you can’t stick 100% with a plan. That’s where tracking comes in. Tracking your progress shows that consistency matters more than perfection. In fact, tracking your progress will show you’re still making progress even if you follow your plan most of the time. Instead of getting frustrated when things don’t go as planned, tracking encourages problem-solving instead.
The Takeaway
Everyone experiences setbacks. You are not unique. A mistake will not derail your efforts and erase all your hard work, but giving up will. Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, shrug them off, adjust, and continue moving forward. Embrace the fact that everything won’t go according to plan, use problem-solving skills to learn from mistakes, prioritize consistency, and maintain a positive attitude. You will reach your goals. Keep moving forward, be patient, and be kind to yourself.
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Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
