Words by Caz Gaston
Well, hello their Saltbush Squad, you are basically, ok let’s call it, OFFICIALLY halfway through the Cool, Calm, and Connected Challenge. We are super impressed with your commitment and dedication to your goals. We hope you are still feeling as excited about them as you were on the first day you wrote them down using your SMART goal principles (because we most definitely are…We love seeing you achieve great things).
Being almost halfway, this is now a great time to take reflection. It is always so important to take a moment to identify if the goal you set out to achieve, and the steps you are taking towards achieving it are actually in alignment. You want to identify the gap between where you are now, and where you want to be by the end. Is the goal big enough for that period of time, or have you potentially bitten off more than you can chew? Are your choices and behaviours helping you attain those goals? Or are they creating obstacles?
And if so, how can you avoid creating these obstacles for yourself in the future?
These are all great questions that you should be asking yourself to make sure that you continue to make progress towards achieving your goal/s. Going back to the first Goal Workshop SMART goals, I used an example of taking the goal of losing weight and applying the acronym to help formulate a SMART goal. Going back to this goal, and continuing with this example, upon reflection, these are some questions that could be asked.
I’m halfway through and I have lost 3kgs so far. Yippee. I’m on the right track to achieving said goal. How much more until I reach my goal by the end of the 30 days? Just 2 more kgs I am aiming to lose by continuing with my healthy habits.
What’s working? What do I think that I have implemented that has helped me achieve this healthy weight loss so far? What healthy habits are helping here? I am drinking consistently my 2L of water per day, I have stuck to my 3 main meals and 2 snacks, and this is leaving me feeling full and satisfied. I’m getting in my 10K steps a day, and I’m really prioritising my sleep and getting between 7-8 hrs.
What obstacles am I still facing that I know I may need to work on to achieve this last bit of my goal? What areas need improvement? I know that when I feel tired, I may reach for food that I know is not going to nutritionally help me achieve my goals. I am prioritizing my sleep, but feeling tired is going to happen now and then.
So instead of automatically reaching for foods that I know will deter me from my goals, I am going to make a nice cup of tea or coffee, and I’m going to reflect first on whether I need that food, or I just purely WANT that food. Taking this time can help me make better choices for me nutritionally. I also want to be more consistent with my exercise. Each Sunday I will write down in my diary (or look at your Saltbush Planner, hint hint, nudge nudge) what form of movement I will do for that week.
Now that you’ve seen an example of the questions you could ask yourself upon Reflection, I’d love for you to sit down and go through your SMART goal, even for just 5 or 10 minutes. This allows you to review, reflect, alter, if need be, and continue towards your vision/ goal.
We want to make sure you stay on track and have all the tools to do so. And if you ever need any assistance if coming across obstacles that you would like some help with, you are always more than welcome to reach out to us at the Saltbush Squad, your fellow accountability partner or even on the private Facebook page for the Saltbush Squad. We are all here to help one another.
Happy reflecting Saltbush Squad. Remember, you are halfway through, and only halfway to go.
You’ve got this. Let’s keep working towards achieving those goals.
Big love. Caz xx
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