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How do you measure success when it comes to your own health and fitness? If you are like most women, the scale is the number one defining tool. The truth of the matter is that success cannot be measured by a number on the scale or your dress size. Success is a state of mind. It’s how you feel, how much more energy you have, what you’ve accomplished and how you tackle life’s obstacles. The scale carries little or no importance. In order to experience success, you need to know where you are, where you are headed and what success looks like for you. Start with a self-inventory. For the past six months you’ve been living a healthier lifestyle. You know your habits are changing, you are conquering little victories like walking up a flight of stairs without being winded and you can see the physical changes when you look in the mirror. Still, you may have some behaviors that need changing or adjusting.
Next, make some short-term goals, but keep them simple and realistic. “Write down your goals and then pick one manageable and realistic goal. It is easier to follow through. But make sure that goal has value to you,” suggested psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor on the Today Show.
Another way to help you stick to your mid-year goals is to check out www.stickk.com. According to co-founder Jordan Goldberg, the website is about making changes in your life. “Users come and they make commitments about personal goals, whether it’s to lose weight, stop smoking, to study more,” said Goldberg. A unique feature of stickK is that users can opt to put money on the line to assure they will succeed – users decide the amount of money to wager and the timetable to reach the goal. “Research suggests that incentives get people to do things, particularly financial incentives. About 30% of our users opt to put money where their mouth is,” said Goldberg. “When money is on the line people are three or more times more likely to accomplish something.”
“Measuring your own sense of success means doing the best you can at every moment. It’s really about super effort, which is more of an attitude or way of thinking when you are fully engaged,” said Taylor. “Even if you take a step forward and feel like you’re sliding back, you still say to yourself, ‘I’m going to try as hard as I can.’”
So use the scale as just one tool to help measure success. Don’t allow it to influence how you feel about your body or how high your self-esteem will be that day. Remember, this is a life-long journey. Celebrate your successes, triumphs and learn from your weaknesses. That is what success truly is.
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