The wonderful thing about success, however, is that it is subjective. Your success may not be your co-worker's success and vice-versa. But regardless, it is all yours and you mustn't forget that. This is especially true when it comes to things like losing weight or getting fit. Are you trying to lose weight and lost a pound since last week? Cha Ching! Success!
Are you determined to add muscle definition to your twiggy body and have only been able to add a smidge of weight to your bench press for the last two months? Face it. A smidge is better than nothing at all. You've got a success story.
You may be snickering and thinking I'm nuts. Why? Because you, like the rest of humankind set goals for ourselves and if we do not meet or exceed them then we do not consider them as a success. More likely, we feel like we failed.
"I want to lose 20 pounds but I have only lost 10 in four months. I can't seem to succeed."
This is where you need to readjust your views. Think of it this way: four months ago you weighed 10 pounds more than you do today. You have managed to lose ten whole pounds! Instead of berating yourself for not reaching your goal, you should pat yourself on the back and say "Wow, I did good. Now I KNOW I can lose the next 10 because I've already succeeded at the first 10!"
Just because something takes you longer to achieve than you would like does not mean you should chalk it up to failure. Likewise, if you don't succeed at all it doesn't point to failure.
I know, you're thinking "What the heck is she talking about?"
Let me put it simply: if you have a plan, execute the plan and nothing happens, perhaps you need to tweak what you are doing. By readjusting your plan, you have taken your first step toward success. You may even need to do this several times. IT DOES NOT MEAN FAILURE. It means you need to reevaluate, or reroute yourself on the road to success.
When it comes to losing weight, or getting fit, even the tiniest of improvements is a success.
Whenever I have a client tell me that they failed, or are about to fail, I remind them of an old Japanese proverb that says "Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight."
Why?
Because the eighth time may be the time. Success may be standing there with its hand out, ready to help you get up. You wouldn't want to miss that, would you?
So the next time you set out to do something--anything--and you feel you are not accomplishing your goals, don't despair. Like the old saying goes, "Get yourself up, brush yourself off and start all over again."
Doing that, in itself is a huge measure of success. It's all up to you!
