The other day, I had plans for a big long workout and then, as often happens, life got in the way. I got started later than I wanted and got interrupted a few times, which resulted in my only doing 3/4s of what I had planned. First I was frustrated, then I took a beat and thought to myself, "WelI, it's better than nothing." It's important to remember that moving toward your goal, no matter how small the step, is still moving forward. This is true for life outside of the gym as well. We tend to hold our standards very high and not allow for any adjustment. Sometimes, for the sake of your sanity and your motivation, you just have to admit that you're human and that things don't always go the way you plan them.

This is an especially important thing for you to remember if you're beginning a new journey or working toward a new goal. When you change your routine or change your plans, it's not going to go exactly as you imagine. There will be days when you will get interrupted, side tracked, or are not able to do things exactly as you had hoped. The important thing to do is to celebrate the fact that you got a little bit done, got a little closer to your goal. This is not to say that you should ever accept a half-hearted effort. It's important to put 100% effort in, always. That whole-hearted effort may look different from day to day depending on your physical and mental state, but it should always be 100% of what you have to give. It's equally as important to not beat yourself up when your full effort doesn't look like, or amount to much. You are human, remember?

In some instances, you're able to make up for lost time the next go round. It totally depends on the situation and the goal you are striving toward. If it's something simple like reading 20 pages per day, you can read 40 tomorrow if you didn't get to it today, so long as that does not become a regular habit. When it comes to exercise or nutrition however, it's not as easy. Sometimes you can run an extra mile but both of those areas require serious consistency in order to achieve lasting change. Sporadically doing really well and then not doing anything at all, will get you nowhere.

So tonight when you sit down to assess your day, which I recommend you do daily, make sure to reward yourself, give yourself a little high-five for everything that went well today. Don't dwell on the fact that you only got 75% of your mission done, CELEBRATE the fact that you got 75% of your mission done. Then take a moment to reflect on why you are not able to get 100% done today. Are you tired, did you not schedule yourself properly? Did something unusual happen? If it's something you can control like a schedule or sleep, commit to yourself that you will do better next time. If it's something that is out of your control, as in a kid got sick or injured, your car broke down, etc., accept that this is life and these things happen. Commit to yourself that you will be as consistent as you possibly can so that when you have to skip a day due to sickness or injury or something unavoidable, it's no big deal.

Be realistic in your goal setting, be consistent in your actions, be forgiving of yourself when you fall short, celebrate all the wins no matter how small. That's the magic formula to success!