Today, it happened
Earlier today, I was practicing yoga and I moved into my first downward facing dog. In case this isn't familiar to you...check this out:
Learn Downward-Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
I have been practicing this pose for over 15 years. Most of that time, I really didn't focus on being able to bring my heals completely to the floor. My calf muscles and ham strings were tight most of the time so I just let my heals go where they wanted to. My yoga practice is mostly 'kind movements' with a dash of 'WOW I am strong!' So I decided to set a very (and I mean barely) relaxed goal for myself to be able to shift my body in this way and get my heals to the ground. No pressure. Day by day, I worked a bit more on my forward fold and gently extended the muscles of the back of my legs. Somedays I even forgot about my goal. However, today was interesting. I moved into downward facing dog and my heals immediately went to the floor. In fact, it was so easy that I thought I was doing the pose incorrectly. I stopped in the pose and stared upside down at my feet making sure I wasn't missing something. Nope...it happened! And it actually felt like butta.
We often think that achieving goals will feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. We set huge goals and wonder why we don't achieve them. I'm here to tell you that it does not have to be like that. When you set a goal, focus on small shifts each day. That trajectory is what leads to success as the brain and body can handle small changes. It's the big ones that get us into trouble because they are so difficult to sustain. I'm reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and he mentions the following:
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there. Create the identify of the person that can do what you want to achieve.
Spend less time focusing on the outcomes and more time focusing on the habits that precede the results.
Here are a few examples of how you can make this work in real life:
Want to lose weight:
Identity: Become the type of person who moves more every day.
Small win: Walk 50 steps after work. Walk 100 steps tomorrow and then add 50 each day. By the end of the year, you're at 10,000 steps per day.
Want to become strong:
Identity: Become the type of person who never misses a workout.
Small win: Do yoga or a cardio workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday - Start with a short amount of time and increase the length of each workout.
Want to be a better friend:
Identity: Become the type of person who always stays in touch.
Small win: Call one friend every Saturday. In three months you will have stayed close with 12 friends.
Creating the identify of who you want to become and building these small shifts into your "system" are the way to go. Your goals become achievable and that translates into WINS which feels fantastic and motivating.