Raise your hand if you find striving for perfection exhausting?
Yeah, me too. So why is it that one of the biggest myths still being perpetuated is that you have to get everything exactly right to make progress in your habits and goals?
You know how that goes…
Miss one workout, splurge a little too much, get to bed much later than you planned, run out of time to meal plan... you feel like you’ve blown it and might as well give up on the rest of the day (week?). Has this ever happened to you?
But here’s the truth: Real progress isn’t about perfection. It IS about consistency, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal. And about recovering to stay on track after a lull.
Between these 2 scenarios:
● Crush one “perfect” week of doing everything exactly on target, then burn out and do nothing for the next three weeks.
● OR show up for yourself at 80% (or more!) all week, every week for months, even when life throws you curveballs (and it will...).
Which one do you think would get you better results?
Spoiler: It’s the latter one.
Here are two POWERHOUSE strategies to dial in your mindset for consistency:
1. Celebrate “Non-Zero” Days.
This concept comes from the idea that any effort is better than none. Walk for 10 minutes? Do a few push-ups? Add a side of veggies to your dinner? It’s a win. The goal is to avoid having a day where you do nothing for your goals.
2. Use the 2-Minute Rule.
On days when motivation is low, tell yourself you only need to do two minutes of your habit. You can always do just two! And that’s often enough to get you started and of course, you’ll very likely end up wanting to do more. But even if you stop, you’ve still kept the habit streak alive (which technically means it counts as another non-zero day 😉)
Insisting on perfection gets you stuck.
Striving for consistency keeps you in progress mode.
So ... here’s to progress, not perfection!
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If you'd like more guidance and a beautiful way to keep a record of your non-zero days...my Habit Tracking Journal is on Amazon (and digitally on Etsy). It has habit trackers, plus reflection and planning pages, to-do lists and journaling pages!
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