I’ve spent most of my adult life following somebody else’s plan for weight loss, blogging success, parenting, you name it. I’ve found myself trying to follow somebody else’s plan or challenge and it just doesn’t work.
Why Following Somebody Else’s Plan Doesn’t Work
1. I am a perfectionist, so I try to do everything they suggest.
Reading a home organization book, I think my system has to match theirs identically. Following a weigh loss challenge, I think I have to excel and do everything that’s thrown at me and at the highest level (too many crunches–ouch!).
2. I can’t do it all on my own.
I’m not superwoman. I have my limitations.
3. I am not the same person or have the same goals.
My goals are different, or should be. I am wanting to lose weight for healthy reasons, so I shouldn’t be trying to lose weight too fast. I am wanting to improve declutter my house, but not every crook and cranny — just the parts that affect my daily living.
4. I am not starting in the same place others are currently at.
I am in a very busy time in my life, so the extreme measures of getting an hour workout in or the details plans of what it takes to be a successful blogger just won’t happen here in this busy house.
What Will Work for a Busy Mother Wanting to Reach Her Goals
1. Stop Being a Perfectionist. Yes, that’s right.
While it would be okay to implement pieces of somebody else’s plan or challenge, I must make my own plan. I then must not beat myself up for missing a day or it not going as fast as I’d like.
2. Look to the Perfect One.
Yes, Jesus Christ. He’s the only perfect being. I can look to Him and lean on Him for the strength and guidance I need in every day living and reaching goals.
3. Determine My Goals.
Don’t base my actions around what I think others want for me. Decide for myself and with the guidance of Jesus Christ what my goals should be.
4. Create a Doable Plan.
What works for me? How much exercise can I realistically get in? How many boxes can I actually go through in a given week? I can’t neglect feeding my 8 month old his pureed veggies and I don’t want to miss out on the evening talks with my older kiddos. I must find a way to reach my goals in a timely manner. Trying to do too much will only leaving me feeling defeated. Reaching my goals in a doable time frame will leave me feeling accomplished. That’s what I want!
You can do it, too!
Leave a comment: What goals have you almost given up on because the plan is just too big? What can you do today to realistic start moving forward with your goals. Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing what works for me next week.
I completely agree! We all have our own individual path that works for us. That’s actually a good thing. It’s easy to take someone’s word and apply it to our life and when we get frustrated, give up. It’s harder to think through what works for you and stick with it – but with the best results!
I’m sure to have better results doing it my own way. I’m thinking about changing one thing at a time, maybe something new every week or two.
I find having someone else’s plan is a great start just to give ya the idea, however, I always do things my way and how it works for me! =)
It’s taken me a long time long to figure this out for myself. I’m glad it didn’t take you as long!
Ditto and Amen! 🙂
My business mantra is “Stop the Madness! One Size Does Not Fit All”
I think using someone else’s plan as a guide is great, you don’t want to waste time reinventing the wheel, but you MUST put you own personality and spin on it for it to work for you.
As with some of the other comments I also think it is good to follow someone elses plan if you are a newbie, as I did, but then I always end up doing it my own way !!
I imagine that working on another person’s plan will be even more worrisome, because that plan was made for someone else’s circumstances, passions, and goals.
It take a lot of pressure off when you evaluate, what you are passionate about, what you want to achieve and what time and physical constraints you have.
A good topic, and really good insights.
Thanks for sharing.
Tami, there are so many good ideas out there but I do agree you have to decide what suits you and what you can adopt comfortably. and sometimes you need to take a look a several examples and take a bit from each to create what works for you.
This is so perfect. We cannot compare ourselves to others and how they are able to complete something. I use others as comparison in that I see them as examples. When it comes to myself, I know what I’m capable of, and I know my needs.
I have to agree, for me things only work when I really want them to and when I do them in my own way.
Thank you for link up with the I Love My Post Blog Hop
Sarah
Life in a Break Down
xx
So true. I do like to look at other people’s ideas for guidance, but always wind up tailoring it for me.
I always give up on my goals because I sometimes put them so far out of reach by thinking unrealistically. I need to stop this since I have so much I always need to get done! 🙂
This is GREAT advice! I love this! It is so true!
Totally agree with you.We are independent people and we have our own interests.thanks for sharing your views with us….