Focus on the Process

It is always important to have goals, but they should be set up on a shelf like a fun shiny trinket, and your focus should be on the process of getting there.  You should not expect to achieve each goal, because in life there are many variables out of your control... your expectations should be set on the process.  Expect there to be hard work, expect there to be new challenges, expect there to be a shift in priorities, expect changes...

                                                 If nothing changes, nothing changes

I existed for many years wishing I would lose 10 lbs.  Then my mindset shifted and I started enjoying making new healthier routines for myself.  It was the process of waking up a bit earlier, adding more time for movement, switching to tea, reading ingredient labels, trying new vegetables... and there I was down 25 lbs 8 months later.  I still use that process.  And it still takes me to new places that I couldn't have imagined.  I would never have set these goals when I first started.  It wasn't the goal setting that took me here, it was the process.

By shifting my focus to the process... the process of getting healthier and stronger... I was less overwhelmed by the goal.  In fact, I didn't even think about the goal.  Every day, I thought about the process.  And here is the beautiful thing about this way of thinking:  I blew past my goal.  Because the processes I'd focused on actually took me beyond the thing I set out to do.  

When you set out on a weight loss journey,

it takes 3-4 weeks for YOU to notice a change,

5-6 weeks for the people closest to you to notice,

7-8 weeks for everyone else....

Exercise training is the same way.  I have goals for being able to do a certain yoga pose, or climb a certain grade outside...  but my day-to-day - minute to minute - focus is on the process of getting there. The outcomes are a future event.  The process is in this moment, and this present moment is really the only one we have.  I prioritize the PROCESS not the GOAL.

If you join me in this shift of focus, you as well will reduce your stress, feel less overwhelmed, find more pleasure, and be more present in your life.  I always ask my clients about their goals.  Goals are direction setters, like a compass and a map.  They are important.  But they don't change you.  Having a goal does nothing to change you.  The process of moving along the map changes you.  

Try this stress reduction tip today:  Ask yourself, what is one thing I can do in the next five minutes to move me towards my goal?  Tomorrow, ask yourself that two times.  The next day four, etc..   You will be amazed at how far you travel.