Do What You Say You're Going to Do
Or notice why you can't, and correct!
Hello, Friend! Happy Tuesday!
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One of my very biggest pet peeves is when people don’t do what they say they’re going to do.
Caveat to this: I know things come up sometimes that prevent us from doing things sometimes… in my mind, these are flukes and shouldn’t deter us from doing what we say we’re going to do *all the time*.
Addendum to this: What bothers me even more is when you don’t also notice why you couldn’t do that thing you said you were going to do. When we notice what happened that deterred us from the task, we can correct so you can be successful with it later, or decide to do something different.
Is this all very confusing? Maybe.
Lemme give an example.
Let’s say you are going to try to eat 3 piece of fruit each day this week.
You make it Monday-Thursday and then only get 1-2 pieces from Friday-Sunday.
If you set the same goal and “fail” again next week, you’re not doing what you say you’re going to do.
If you set the same goal, and learn from the challenges that came up this week, like maybe you simply didn’t buy enough fruit to make it through the days, or you forgot to pack it in your lunch, etc. then that’s NOT failure and you’re still working to do what you say you’re going to do.
Maybe that makes more sense?
Sometimes we have to fail at things to figure out how to be successful at them moving forward. That’s all good. Alternatively, sometimes we fail at things we said we were going to do over and over and over again and also fail to make a plan to do things differently… this is the pet peeve part for me.
In essence, what this boils down to is the importance of self-awareness and adaptability in pursuing our goals. It's natural for life's unexpected twists and turns to occasionally hinder our progress. What truly matters is how we respond to these setbacks. Are they merely obstacles to deter us, or are they opportunities for growth?
Let's dive into your fruit-eating example once more. The act of acknowledging why you fell short – whether it was due to insufficient preparation, forgetfulness, or any other reason – opens the door to improvement. It's about not letting failures define us but rather refining our strategies to achieve our aspirations.
It's interesting how the pursuit of our goals and following through with what we say we want to do can teach us as much about ourselves as it does about the goals themselves. Recognizing patterns of repeated failure without initiating a change in approach is where the real frustration arises. It's the commitment to self-betterment that stands out – not only setting the goal, but learning from the setbacks and proactively adapting.
In the grand scheme, what may seem like a minor annoyance – when people don't align their actions with their words – unveils a profound truth about human nature and growth. Embracing failure as a stepping stone toward success and being cognizant of the reasons behind shortcomings can lead to an enlightened approach to personal development. So, in your quest for consistency, remember that it's not about never stumbling, or never saying you’re going to do the things, but about how you choose to get back up and navigate the path forward.
I hope this didn’t come off as too harsh, and I also hope that people don’t stop telling me what they’re going to do, because I really do want to support you all the time AND help you when/if you have trouble with follow through. Let’s just all collectively aim to STOP letting the same faults happen over and over again, OR, pivot and do something different.
What are your thoughts around this?? I’d love to hear… send me an email at sara@nutritionforlifeproject.com or comment below!
As always, thank you for reading!
xoxo,
Sara