Positive Thinking Series - You Don't Have to be Perfect!

Last week I talked about taking things one step at a time, you can read that post HERE. 

It’s a wise idea to break any goal down into smaller chunks, but this doesn’t automatically make us exempt from sabotaging ourselves further along the path.

To succeed, we not only need a plan, or structure, but we need to be attentive to our needs.  If we don’t nourish our ideas, and indeed ourselves, then we can trip up at the first hurdle.

Being diligent and planning ahead, or putting in the effort when it’s needed, can be the difference between success and failure.

However, being determined could be mistaken as perfectionism.  Could you cope with a setback?  Would you fall apart when faced with a failure?  If you can’t accept that it’s okay not to be perfect, then you may risk creating a huge barrier to achieving your goals.

It’s quite freeing to be able to say, ‘Okay, I’ve had a speed wobble, but it’s not the end of the world.  I’ve learnt from it, and I’m ready to give it another go.’

I’ve had more speed wobbles throughout my life than I can remember.  Weight loss is one area I always failed at if I didn’t allow myself a naughty day.  When I used to have one too many custard creams I would feel like an utter failure, tell myself I’d nosedived beyond repair, and bury my head in a Victoria sponge cake.  Now, I don’t even see it as a slip-up anymore.  I enjoy a naughty treat and then get straight back to my healthy eating; no guilt, no more slip-ups.

So the next time you have a goal in mind, have planned your baby steps and are motivated to succeed, remember to allow yourself an off day.  Only then can you enjoy the journey.