Don't Take It All on at Once...

Till recently, I had a particular habit that never seemed to change. I was stuck in a cycle that went between being completely unmotivated, and finding a sudden inspiration to do a complete overhaul of every aspect of my life. Out with the old, in with the new. My brain would fire off a million aspects of my life that needed a change, and needed it now.

I need a hobby.

I need to exercise more.

I'm going to start a vegan diet.

I'm going to learn physics.

I'm going to teach my children a new language.

I'm going to also teach them how to play guitar.

So, in a spurt of adrenaline, I would dash for my notebook and pen. I would set to work writing goals to become this supreme being through strict scheduling and prioritizing. I would download productivity apps. Spend hours plugging my tasks into them. Then, it would usually play out like this.

Alarm 8:30 AM: Do 15 Minutes of Exercising

Well, umm, about that, Mr. Alarm...I'm running a little behind today, catch ya tomorrow! After that, each alarm for my 15-minute morning workout was ignored. Because, in addition to that, I also had planned to drink eight bottles of water that day, make myself salads, teach the kids to speak Spanish (which I don't even speak), and do a deep clean of my entire house. So instead of jumping onto all these goals I had set for myself, I shut down and pretended they didn't exist.

Rinse and Repeat.

There was something that people would always tell me when I would go through these unrealistic phases. "Take it slow. Don't try to change too much at once. You're going to burn yourself out." My reaction was always one of indignant stubbornness. But I proved them right, again and again.

One day, in a tearful rage, I cried to my partner: "Nothing ever changes. I want to be healthier, I want the kids to learn to speak Spanish, I can't do this, I can't do that..." For some reason, although he simply reiterated what had been said a million times, it stuck. "Take it slow."

I took a new approach. I decided on one thing to work on. Just one. "I need to drink water instead of coffee all day." I broke it down further. "I will drink coffee only before noon, and then I will drink water." And so I set off. With a bit of pushing, it worked! I then changed my goal to only having one cup of coffee in the morning. That worked too! Over time, I learned the importance of taking pride in small accomplishments. Because it means I actually did something. I don't have to go from what I am now to superwoman overnight. I've got time.

Also? I started a workout regimen. And I started slow. I might not be able to speak for all of the population when I say this, but, for me, small steps are the way to success. Just make sure you push yourself a little bit. You've got this!