how to get back on the wagon

If there's one thing to leave behind in 2022, it's perfectionism. 

You are a human; with a human brain, it's unrealistic to think that you will be 100% on 100% of the time.

You might believe that being perfectly disciplined is the way to success but depending on discipline alone isn't sustainable. When it comes to creating success in our lives, focusing on consistency always wins over being perfect.

All-or-nothing thinking is what ends up keeping us further away from our goals. 

So what to do instead? 

Apply the "never miss twice" principle coined by James Clear. It's easy to feel discouraged when forming a new habit, especially when life gets in the way. For example, I committed to writing a blog post a day. 

Yesterday was Christmas, and I knew writing was low on my priority list.

Instead of beating myself up for not writing, I said, "Never miss twice." So then, I plan to schedule a time to write the following evening.

By avoiding missing twice, you are making space for the inevitable slip-ups while maintaining the motivation to succeed over the long term.

Boom — no drama or judgment about not doing it perfectly. I made a plan to write Monday evening, and it was much easier to follow through with because I wasn't hard on myself for not writing on Christmas Day.

This mindset is a game changer.

Again, the idea here is to establish a habit by implementing behavior consistency. What matters more than perfection is consistency and completion because as the number of reps adds up, the behavior gets stronger and stronger and eventually becomes a habit.

This concept has helped me create a business and life I love. Instead of having unrealistic expectations that I needed to be perfect with my habits to create a dream business and life, I allowed myself to focus on the progress, and that's when things started o take off.

How to get back on track:

1. Acknowledge and validate that it's okay not to be perfect — focusing on progress instead of perfection takes the pressure off
2. Refocus your energy – remember WHY you wanted to start the habit in the first place
3. Make a plan and schedule your habit
4. Reach out to someone for accountability

When forming a new habit, sometimes, you take two steps forward and one step back. That's OKAY and very normal. Instead of beating yourself up, anticipating the setback makes all the difference in the world.

Make a plan to get back on track and recommit as quickly as possible.