A while ago I was part of a tricky situation, where I had been working towards a goal and then didn't reach it. Despite my best effort, the outcome was actually out of my control. Initially I felt quite down and defeated, but I took some time to reflect and talked to a few people more experienced than I am and as a result I learned a great deal. Although my situation wasn't about me working towards my health goals, I can see how the steps that I took and the lessons that I learned could be applied to help anyone who is currently working towards a health goal. So here it is, 3 steps to help you in working towards your health goals (or actually any goals, really).

1. Ask for help. Asking for help is tough, I know this, I come from a family of 'do-it-yourselfers' and it has been challenging for me to learn how to ask for help, but as the name suggests, it really is very helpful.

If you think you know what you're doing, but you're not quite sure, ask for help!

If you have no idea what you're doing, ask for help!

If you thought you knew what you were doing and it worked for a while but it's no longer working, ask for help!

Getting advice or a second opinion will save you a lot of time, make your life easier, and ultimately help you reach your health goals faster. Find someone that you can talk to and then use them as a sounding board for what you're thinking, trust me, it will be a huge advantage to you.

2. Get a support crew. If you are making healthy changes, it will be a lot easier for you to work towards your goal if you are in a supportive environment. You will likely find support from the above help, but it is also important to have some day to day support as well. If you are wanting to increase your daily walking, you could invite colleagues at lunch and go together, or maybe you and your housemate or family member could plan healthy meals to cook and take it in turns, or perhaps you could start doing dancing classes with a friend? A lot of the time your environment can make or break your best attempts to live a healthier lifestyle, so it's a good idea to set up your environment in a way that supports your efforts. Tell your family/ friends about the healthy changes you are making, and ask them to be supportive.

3. Find a way to enjoy the journey, not just the outcome. Enjoying the journey is the key to success in any area of life, but especially in creating and maintaining healthy behaviours. Find ways to enjoy your journey, maybe this means trying new foods that you haven't heard of before, learning to cook, or getting back into regular exercise that you actually enjoy. Enjoy your journey, because the key to successful behaviour change is that it's sustainable and you can continue with it in the long run.

What tips do you have about enjoying the journey or working towards your health goals?

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