What to do when new habits falter?

Have you ever felt like you’re hurtling toward failure and you can’t seem to put your foot on the brakes? That’s how I feel right now. My morning routine, which I started doing at 6:15am every morning, is slowly creeping up later and later, pushing me further away from my goal of waking at 6 a.m. every day. I’m battling inertia more and more in the mornings as I drag myself out of bed to do my morning fitness routine. I’m definitely hitting a plateau in my motivation to exercise daily. My food intake is crap. I’m getting six hours of sleep a night and I can feel that lack of sleep and its effect on my performance as a whole.

I realize that I am thisclose to falling off the wagon in every way.

But, surprisingly, the fact that I am recognizing how much I’ve been sucking lately at meeting my goals is a comforting realization. Why? Because if I’m able to see that I need to do better, I can actually do something about it. Denial is the worst enemy of change. If I ignore my shortcomings and what I can do to improve myself, I’ll never move forward.

Terry is reading a book called “This Year I Will…” about changing habits. When I was telling him how I felt he mentioned that one thing the author said is that “recognizing you’ve blown it is progress.” That really encapsulates how I feel at the moment, and why I have decided to press my mental reset button so it feels like I’m tackling these goals with renewed inspiration.

Here’s to a fresh start.

4 Comments on What to do when new habits falter?

  1. Kara
    March 13, 2010 at 7:12 pm (14 years ago)

    Awww, Marie! It's always a process. Unlike me, you've consistently established a blogging routine. There's something to be said about that!

    Reply
    • Marie
      March 13, 2010 at 12:57 pm (14 years ago)

      Thanks, Kara. 🙂 I know as long as I keep re-examining myself and what I’m doing, I won’t have to worry about slipping up completely.

      Reply
  2. suki
    March 15, 2010 at 4:32 pm (14 years ago)

    Daylight savings certainly didn't help! 😛 It's hard getting up early as it is. You're doing great, and it's true – recognizing that you're going in the wrong direction is the first step. It's always helpful to have this blog to keep you accountable.

    Reply
    • Marie
      March 16, 2010 at 12:22 am (14 years ago)

      Too true about daylight savings! Thanks for the encouragement. The blog definitely helps keep me on track.

      Reply

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