Do You Know Your Why?

Tina Butt

Do you ever wonder WHY you have not been successful in your attempt(s) to:

  • lose weight
  • increase your energy level
  • decrease pain
  • get that new job
  • write that book
  • go to that neighborhood gym
  • stay motivated

Do you set then achieve your goals?

Whatever goal(s) you have attempted to achieve in life, WHY were you unable to achieve them?

Have you ever thought about this?

I know I have! There was a time when I set so many goals(all at once), would work hard up front then…… STOP!

It wasn’t until I felt like I was repeating what I have tried before, that I realized what I was doing wasn’t working.

I also set so many different goals, that I could not develop the necessary healthy habits because I would get so overwhelmed. My goals were not specific and they definately were not achievable. I just did not want to admit that to myself. That meant “I was a failure” if I could not achieve what I set my mind to.

I knew what I had tried wasn’t working, I had to figure out and be honest with myself as to WHY it wasn’t working. For this month you will learn to Respect the Differences in what has worked and what HAS NOT worked! I want you to evaluate what you have tried in the past: what worked and what did not work.

  • Journal the activities you have tried while working on your goals
  • Journal what activites worked- these are the ones that you used and noticed a difference
  • Journal what activities did not work- these are the ones you used without a benefit.

For most people we do what we know, what feels comfortable and even what others are doing that worked for them. It’s easier to do what you are comfortable with since you don’t have to spend time learning something new. Even if you have tried it in the past and it didn’t work, “let’s try again”. We often make excuses to ourselves and to others as to “WHY” the diet didn’t work, we didn’t get the job or WHY we didn’t lose the last 5 lbs.

Knowing and understanding the DIFFERENCE between the following will be useful in the long term success of reaching your goals. Write the answers to the following in your Journal.

  1. what works for you vs what works for someone else- what has worked for YOU? not your friend, neighbor or the person on social media.
  2. what are healthy vs unhealthy trends- low fat, high fat, no carb, high barb, protein, no protein……. don’t choose the “trend” choose the healthy option(s).
  3. what are old habits and what new habits are you willing to develop- your habits have formed over the years for ease, what habits can you recognize as the ones that are unhealthy? How can you change these habits to positive healthy ones that will work with your lifestyle right now?

By reviewing these differences, you will be able to see what worked and what needs to change. This will help you to understand what you need to change so your hard work will pay off!

I learned through trial and a lot of error, I was not a failure for not achieving my goals. I would have been a failure for not attempting to develop and work on goals. In other words, I wouldn’t get ahead or develop positive habits for myself without setting a healthy standard of achievement and things to work for in life. I would fail if I didn’t try. I would fail if I didn’t do what was necessary for me. I would fail if I didn’t listen to my own needs.

I had to develop a WHY. Do you have a WHY?

Your WHY is the reason:

  • you do what you do
  • you wake up each day
  • you achieve something
  • you have wants
  • you have dreams
  • you have goals

Knowing your WHY is the way you will be able to achieve your goals!

Before you really start working on the action steps toward achieving your goals, you need to develop a WHY.

Without a WHY, you won’t have a reason to begin, continue or complete your action steps.

In your JOURNAL write your goal(s):

  • the reason you set them

Here is an example: GOAL: “I want to lose 5 lbs”. REASON: “to fit in my shorts this summer”

Once you develop a WHY for each goal, pick your TOP 3 goals that you want to work on now.

  • place these goals along with the WHY somewhere you will see it every day.
  • when you are struggling to complete your action steps, go back to your WHY
  • when you fall off the path, review your WHY
  • review your WHY at the beginning of every month

Over time, your WHY may change. For example, you may have set a goal to “lose 5 lbs to fit in those shorts”, but you may have just found out your blood pressure was high, now you need to lose the 5 lbs to lower your blood pressure. Your WHY changed.

Do you know your WHY?

  • why you have a specific goal
  • why you have been unsuccessful at achieving your goal
  • why you have developed unhealthy habits
  • why you fall off the wagon
  • why you want something and do not go after it

What is your WHY?

If you need help with setting healthy goals and developing your WHY, contact me so we can get you started today. Why wait? Why not do this for you? Why not take the necessary steps to gain health and wellness? Why not start to feel better? Why not?