I’m a firm believer in living in the moment whenever possible — not overthinking things, not focusing on what you don’t currently have, staying very present in the current moment so that you can enjoy it as much as possible. My emphasis on this is even stronger when our kids are involved. Kids live in the moment, to be sure, but if we don’t stop and enjoy them right then and there (rather than wishing for them to be older, wiser, better behaved, whatever), we miss out on precious days that fly by.

But that’s living in the moment in a good way.

Many women contact me, asking me how to stay motivated to continue with healthy eating, with their weight loss plans, with being more disciplined about their fitness routines. And that’s where living in the moment can be FAR less than helpful.

You see, in order to reach our long-term goals, we *do* have to spend some time each day thinking about them. I didn’t always know that, didn’t always know how much more comforting it is to have a plan in place.

Nearly every morning, I sit down and think — just for a minute or two — about some things I want to change in my own life (like seeing my business reach out to many more moms out there! and getting all the construction projects in my house done so that the chaos can settled down a little bit). I also created a vision board that highlights what I wish to achieve, the life I hope to be living in another year or two. I’m happy where I am now, to be sure, and I am grateful daily for all I have. But I see life as a process of evolution, as a place where we can always improve things, such as our minds, attitudes, lifestyles, you name it, because to be human is to grow.

How to stay focused

Just the act of contemplating my longer-term goals helps me stay clear and focused most of the time, and I recommend this to you as I do all my clients.

But it also really does help to have a clear, specific picture of what you want. The more specific, the better, in fact. Want to be able to jog 5 miles? Want your thighs to be firm? Want to feel like everything you try on is a winner? Want to know that you’re as healthy as you can be so that you can spend your older years healthier, fitter and more enjoyably so that you can have even more time with your kids (and grandkids)?

In the past, when I finally got clear on the fact that I had a chance at feeling like “one of those girls” who could wear anything, do anything, didn’t have to feel restricted if I started to eat more healthfully, when I realized I couldn’t take the pain of being unwell and uncomfortably overweight any longer without at least trying to change, suddenly it became crystal clear to me that I wanted a different life entirely from the one I had. Just those thoughts were so powerful (and yours can be too if you let them! seriously, close your eyes and imagine!) that they kept me going.

But more than thinking about our goals, we also have to take action.

Thought isn’t enough

A lot of my clients get caught up in their thinking rather than focus on action. But actions are what get us results.

What are the actions you need to take just about every day to get where you want to go? Write them down! I say just about every day, not every day, because it doesn’t typically require perfection from day 1 to get to your goal. It just requires you taking steady action in the right direction most of the time, even with some blips on the radar here and there, and you WILL get where you want to go.

Every day, it helps to ask yourself, “Is this taking me toward my goal?” If not, the answer is no. Anything that isn’t taking you toward your goal is taking you away from it.

At times there’s a need to just stop and reflect on this. Am I actually mostly taking the actions I need to to get to my goal? If not, why not? Did I choose the wrong goal? Do I really want to get there? Am I willing to do what it takes to get there? Or should I start smaller? Should I try a different approach? I don’t think we all need to switch approaches all the time, but there’s often a need to make small tweaks to even the best laid plans.

Are you in or out?

That might be the most important question of all: Are you *willing* to do what it takes to get there? It sometimes takes being uncomfortable to make changes in our lives to get what we want. To eat well, to lose weight, to take care of our bodies in a way we never have before, we each have to do things we’ve never done before. And that means there *will* be some discomfort. It’s impossible to avoid, in fact.

And yet … it doesn’t last long. The discomfort isn’t usually true pain, even if we perceive it as such sometimes. It’s really just not what we wish we were doing there in the moment. There’s always going to be — truly, always — something out there that seems more tempting if we let our thoughts go down that path. It will always seem easier to stick with the status quo that we’re comfortable with than to make changes that will benefit us in the longer term.

But let me tell ya — eating well is worth it. Losing the weight is worth it. Discovering that you can follow through on what matters to you is a blessing like no other, and it opens doors for you that you’ll not believe till you witness it for yourself (but it’s really, really good stuff, folks!). :) You have never felt so free and clear and happy as you will when you realize you’ve created your own best life for yourself. That satisfaction alone is worth it. And really, “all” it takes is recognizing that if you can stop taking pleasure in the immediate moment (by eating junk, for example) and focus on your goal, you’ll get there sooner than you imagine.