Inner change – the danger of quick or pending achievements

Photo: Pixabay

One of the biggest secrets to success in achieving goals and changing habits is consistency, i.e. sticking with it. Easier said than done. The articles of the last few weeks have already highlighted some obstacles that can lead to us not tackling the desired change or losing fun halfway through.
Today I would like to add two more aspects to this list:
Quick first achievement and pending achievements.

  1. The danger of fast achievements:
    If we start the change and after a short time the first achivements take place, it can be very motivating. But it can also lead us to think: “Oh, if it’s so easy, I can slow down. After all, I’ll get there again quickly.” Then we stop to take our project seriously enough, we get sloppy – it slips down the priority list and…in the long run we lose sight of it again. It was just a flash in the pan. In fact, in this case, we don’t even get to the real endurance test – that’s the stage where further success takes longer and is harder to achieve them. Sometimes we even get setbacks. In sport, this is called the plateau phase. At this point, it becomes clear whether we really want it – namely, if we keep at it despite standstills and setbacks. To do this, however, we have to continue after the first achievements. Furthermore, when we achieve success too quickly, it is worthwhile to check whether we have perhaps made things too easy for ourselves? Could we do more? Did we start with the requirements just above our competence? If not, take it up a notch 😉
  2. The danger of pending achievements: This can also happen. We are very proud that we have started to integrate the new habit into our lives, but nothing happens. This quickly leads to a “there’s no point in doing it anyway”. Seriously? In most cases, nothing has happened yet because we haven’t kept at it long enough. How long did you hold on? Patience! A habit that we have cultivated for several decades can hardly be changed in a fortnight! I know this well. When I had just got my motorbike licence and was on tour with a group of people who all had over 20 years of riding experience, I wanted to ride just as fast and confidently straight away. And became impatient with myself. Impatience can lead us to overexterd ourselves, wanting too much at once and then stopping because it’s not good for us. So, stay patient but consistent and keep observing what is changing.

Whatever you want to change – I wish you patience, stamina and the right amount of challenge. Then the rest will fall into place!

Be kind to yourself!

Birgit