Earlier, I said that health is on the list of things that make you happy. (If you have serious problems, get help from a professional. That’s not me.)
First, ask yourself, “What result do I want?” (I am always amazed at how often people don’t do this.)
You might say that you want to:
- Be able to lift X weight Y times
- Be able to walk or run X miles in Y time
- Have such and such a cholesterol level, blood sugar, or weight
…Or many other measures or qualities. You might be fine with your physical health but you don’t want to worry as much about [you name it], or perhaps you’d like to handle anger better. Possibly you think in terms of how far you have progressed with yoga.
The point is: you need goals. You need to define a state you want to achieve. Otherwise you won’t know where you are and you will feel bad about it. Setting goals is therapeutic in itself – you aren’t taking on the whole universe anymore.
Be reasonable. Telling yourself you have to run a 10 mile race in a couple of months when you haven’t walked more than a few blocks at a time for 5 years is setting yourself up to fail.
Be persistent. Those who succeed are those who keep trying. If one method is not working for you, try something else. Just because meditating helps your best friend relax doesn’t mean it’s for you. Don’t give up.
Compare yourself to you, not to other people. There is always someone who can run faster, lose more weight, be more one with the all. Measure your progress against your own goals.
You may like joining with others in working toward your goals. Sharing your progress can keep you on track and give you a reason not to skip a yoga class or eat half the key lime pie at a sitting. Don’t worry if others appear to make more progress – your movement toward your own goals is what counts. And if others compare themselves unfavorably to you, gently remind them of this.
Some can take inspiration from the example of others – and there are certainly many inspiring people. If someone’s success, perhaps against great odds, gets you going, that’s wonderful! Use that example to your advantage!
For various reasons, though, not everyone works that way. Some might look at a success story and find it overwhelming, thinking, “I could never do anything like that.” Whether or not you are encouraged by the success of other people, take this one thing from their experience: They started. They persisted. And you can do that much too.
