Hi Friend,
Have you ever achieved a really big health goal and then totally self-sabotaged and ended up right back where you started? I know what you're thinking—seriously? who hasn't?
I've been more than a little curious lately about why we (and especially I) do this. Why put all the effort into achieving something great and then backslide back to a place we didn't want to be to start with?
There are probably a million reasons why this happens and I'm sure plenty of therapists who can help demystify what's going on. But since this is my newsletter and you decided to open it, I'll tell you what I think about this smoking gun.
Neural pathways. You may have noticed I'm a bit obsessed with neural pathways lately. Basically, the more we do something (even if it's harmful) the more familiar it becomes. The reptilian part of our brain is programmed to keep us safe and since familiarity feels safer than the unknown, we tend to revert back to old patterns.
Here's the good news: We don't necessarily need to break the old pattern, just replace it. How do we do this? Repeat, repeat, repeat until the new process becomes familiar. This can take upwards of 66 or more repetitions for a habit to become our "new normal." In fact, if you really want to be good at something, it takes 10,000 repetitions to become a master of a new skillset.
Which leads me to my next point: managing expectations. Learning something new not only takes time, we need to allow some wiggle room for when we regress. It's only failure if we don't learn the lesson (ie: give up before the magic happens).
Lastly, we also have to know that we're worth it.
Upbringing and a lack of belief in oneself can often be at the heart of the matter when it comes to self-sabotage.
And if this rings true for you, know this: the odds of you being here on this very planet are 1 in 250,000,000. You have already accomplished the biggest goal in life which is to exist. You were meant to be here. So in effect, you were meant to have big dreams, achieve larger than life goals and learn a little something along the way.
If you're having trouble reaching your goals (mental, emotional or physical) and creating your new normal, I invite you to consider hiring a Health Coach. It's a gift you'll give yourself that has the power to transform your life! It would be my pleasure to help you on your journey to wellness!
