Four Strategies to Help You Achieve Your Goals

A couple of weeks ago, I found out that I’m no longer pre-diabetic, but have reached the stage of having the real deal.  Suddenly my nutrition goals have changed.  In the past few years, I’ve paid closer attention to what I eat and have tried to choose healthier foods, but now I need to take it to a whole new level if I’m going to avoid taking medication. Here are a few insights that are helping me that I wanted to share that can apply to many goals.

• When I tell people of my goal and why, they are very supportive.  It also helps hold me accountable because if I say I’m watching my carbs, I feel more motivated not to be seen eating a donut.
• If I say to myself, “I’m not going to eat candy when I want a snack.” I’m still thinking about candy because that’s the word my brain sees.  Instead, I rephrase it to, “I’m going to eat some nuts when I want a snack.”  Now the word (and temptation) of candy is gone.
• I plan ahead for possible challenges.  We’re having a birthday party for my daughter this weekend.  There will be so much good food, including jello salad, potatoes, buns, and, of course, birthday cake.  Mmmmm!!  But these are high in carbs so I need to make sure there will be some foods I love that I can eat like freshly steamed green beans, caprese salad, cherry tomatoes from the garden, and dark chocolate covered almonds. 
• I think about my “Why.”  I’m now 50 years old and notice my age creeping in some days.  I want to stay active and be able to enjoy life and do things with my daughter and husband. I need to take care of my body and help it stay healthy if I’m going to be ready for adventures like a backpacking trip to Alaska in the next couple of years. 

On the one hand, I’m frustrated by having to pay so much attention to the food I eat.  It’s inconvenient and takes extra preparation and planning.  On the other hand, it’s a great motivator to help me really eat healthy, which will have many benefits besides managing my diabetes.  It’s also helped me make exercise a higher priority.

Having the right goals and making progress towards them can increase our happiness and feelings of control. Think of a goal you have.  How could you use these strategies to make achieving it easier?

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Tina Hallis, Ph.D. is Chief Positivity Officer of The Positive Edge, a company dedicated to helping people and organizations increase their positivity to improve the quality of people’s work lives and the quality of company cultures. She is certified in Positive Psychology, an authorized partner for Everything DiSC®, and a Professional Member of the National Speaker’s Association