We tend to be our own worst critics and are quick to put ourselves down if we slip up with our goals. If we turn back to old habits and ways of thinking we give up on our goals. However, no matter what your goal is, setbacks are inevitable. Whether you want to stop smoking or cut out junk food and takeaways. Or, go to the gym every day, or write a novel, you will fail along the way.

No one can be perfect all the time. Everyone slips up or fails at something sometimes but that’s how you learn and grow. Therefore, it’s important to not beat yourself up if you end up over-indulging when you want to lose weight. Or, if you don’t go to the gym one day, you need to remember that’s OK.

The thing that matters the most is how quickly you bounce back from the setback. Pick yourself up and get back to progressing with your goals. It’s easy to use a slip up as an excuse to quit and not pursue your goals. If you’re too hard on yourself it will cause you to relapse because you haven’t been perfect and decide to give up instead of picking up where you left off as fast as you can.  

Accepting that there will be times when you’ll fall off track or won’t be proactive with your goals is crucial. This will help you to see that these setbacks are normal. You can pick yourself up quickly and keep working towards your goals.

Don’t Fall Back into Old Patterns Because You Slip Up

If we don’t work towards our goals or revert to old bad habits one day it’s so easy to see yourself as a failure and to quit. However, to reach your dreams and goals, you need to see setbacks as a way to learn. They aren’t an excuse to give up on your dreams because you see yourself as a failure.

It’s common for people to give up at the first hurdle because they think that they’re not good enough or they’ll never reach their goals. However, you need to stop yourself from falling back into old patterns of behaviour and giving up on yourself and the things you want to achieve.

Don’t give up on quitting smoking because you slip up and have a cigarette one day. Similarly, don’t stop eating healthily for the rest of the week because you had a pizza on Thursday night. Simply accept that no one is perfect, pick yourself up the next day, and get back to your goals.

Slip Ups are Inevitable

Learn to accept that reaching your goals is a journey and you’re not going to get there overnight with no challenges or failures. Setbacks are inevitable and they help you to learn and grow.

Nothing worth having is ever plain sailing. So, it’s essential that don’t quit because of one “failure”. We learn from failing and facing challenges. Therefore, it’s important to not be so hard on yourself if you order a takeaway or don’t work out one day.

Change Your Mindset

If you slip up with your goals, don’t listen to your brain when it tells you that you’re not good enough and you’ll never reach your goals. That’s just your ego trying to keep you safe and in your comfort zone. It trys to stop you from trying anything new or pushing yourself to create new healthy habits. Instead, simply acknowledge the thought and say to yourself “Thank you for looking out for me but I’m making a new choice and I can handle this”.

Pushing through challenges is what makes you grow. Learning to bounce back from your setbacks and slip ups will get you back on track to reaching your goals. Therefore, make a different choice and decide that you’re not giving up on yourself and your goals because of a few challenges or setbacks.

It’s easy to say “Oh well what’s the point!?” and think that you’re a failure. However, if you change your mindset and learn to accept challenges, you’ll achieve your goals sooner. You won’t quit as soon as things get tough or come up that challenge you.

Learn What Your Triggers Are

To get different results you need to do different things. You’ll never achieve your goals if you give up as soon as things get in the way or get hard. However, if you learn what your triggers are for slipping up you can plan what you’re going to do next time you’re faced with a similar situation.

If you ordered a takeaway one night after work because you were stressed and tired, instead of giving up on your healthy eating habits, accept that you’ve slipped up and work out why.

If you’re eating junk food whenever you’re stressed or tired then you’re trying to comfort yourself through food. Then, you can decide that next time you feel like you want a takeaway, you’ll do something to de-stress. You could meditate, go on a walk, have a relaxing bath, or journal before you cave and order another takeaway. Moreover, if you plan what you’re going to do differently next time, you will learn from your past mistakes but won’t let them stop you on your journey.

If you find that you’re not pursuing your goals, and you keep procrastinating and avoiding doing something for too long, then you can work out a new strategy for achieving your goals. It may be that you’re setting your goals too high to begin with and this is stopping you from taking action to reach them.

Take Action Despite Slip Ups

Try and find the smallest step you can take towards reaching your goals to get over your resistance to them. It may be that you’ve set yourself a goal to work out at the gym every day. However, you may end up not going at all because you haven’t exercised for a while and this goal is too daunting for you.

Instead, you could set yourself a goal to work out twice a week at the gym. But, do other things that you love like swimming, walking, or Pilates when you feel like it that week.

Or, you could start the week by laying out your gym gear or trainers and that’s it. You don’t need to tell yourself you have to go to the gym that day, however, more often than not you’ll find yourself more inclined to go if you can see your gym clothes out ready to go.

“Nothing positive will come from being negative, and nothing negative will come from being positive.”– Unknown

Summary

Whatever your goals are don’t give up on them because you’ve had a bad day or week. Pick yourself up quickly and get back to pursuing your goals despite any failures you may have along the way. 

Beating yourself up because you’ve over-indulged, relapsed, or taken no action with your goals won’t change what’s already happened. However, it will prevent you from moving forward and reaching your goals in the future.

You’re not a failure because you’ve failed and you are good enough even if you’ve slipped up. Remember, you will succeed with all your goals if you just keep pushing forward and trying. However, you won’t if you quit after every hurdle.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, don’t put pressure on yourself, life is just a chain of experiments and results, and you’ll be perfect when you’re dead.”– Dan Harmon

Follow my Instagram page for my daily challenges and small tasks/tips to help improve your life!

Also, check out my recipe page for quick, easy, and delicious meals for every diet!