How Persistence Can Help You Reach Your Goals.

Change takes time but persisting with your goals is worth it in the long run.

If there is anything I’ve learned over the last 12 months, it’s that change is a process. A slow process. Sometimes it feels as if no progress has been made and the changes that we so diligently implement are all for nothing. The path to real growth is littered with stumbling blocks and setbacks which can trip us up and make us feel as though we have failed.

During these times it’s important to remember that nothing will be perfect, that we as humans are perfectly imperfect and so the things that we want for our health and our lives in general are likely to be imperfect, too. When we begin to make changes to our lifestyles, eating, and exercise habits in the pursuit of greater wellbeing and fulfillment, it can seem like hard work.

The first piece of advice I can offer is to start small. Like really, really, barely-noticeable-small. For instance, if you want to exercise more frequently, but struggle to find time to do it more than twice a week- just start there.

Start with a change that will be easy for you to adapt to and maintain, this way you’ll start off feeling good about yourself and will be able to keep this momentum going without really thinking about it.

This idea is based on a theory called ‘Minimum Baseline’ which was coined by life coach Brooke Castillo. Keeping a journal to track your improvements over time is a good way to stay on track, because it gives you a written record of the commitment that you are making to yourself. Likewise taking a moment to self-reflect when things are getting hard to manage can help us to re-evaluate what is working, what isn’t, and can help us to recognise how far we have come. Practice persistence and one day you will wake up and realise that you’ve done it, that you are doing it, and that you're already well on your way to reaching your wellbeing goals.

Those of you who come to our online pilates classes, or those who attend elsewhere, are probably familiar with the ‘Roll Up’ exercise, which involves rolling slowly up from lying on your back to stretching towards your toes. Since starting online pilates with Tegan over a year ago, I have been trying to complete this exercise with my hands folded behind my head, instead of using my arms to give me momentum. Every single time I tried this pose in class I thought something like ‘I might as well just try to do it- maybe I can’, followed by ‘dammit! I still can’t do it!’

There were times that this brought up feelings of failure and a negative self-belief that I would never improve to the point that I was able to do this one exercise. Cut to a week ago and I managed to do the full exercise with my hands behind my head! I had the same old thought during class- ‘I’ll just try it and see what happens.’ So I did, and I was stoked to finally have made progress that I could quantify. The practice of persistence, of not stopping even when you have not succeeded yet, is not just about chasing success or the completion of particular goals, it is about cultivating strength and belief in yourself to accomplish what you set out to do.

In a study run by the Pennsylvania University, and featured in a 2019 Forbes article, researchers posited that ‘lack of engagement in certain strategies (goal persistence, self-mastery, positive reappraisal) increases vulnerability toward these disorders’, (depression & anxiety amongst others). Over the course of the 18-year study, they concluded that:

‘...tenacious goal pursuits can foster effective problem-solving approaches as people become more mindful of how their daily affairs, actions, and habits are instrumental in achieving their dreams… therefore, people are likely to expand their vistas and bring forth positive experiences and opportunities into their lives...’

To break this down for you, this means that by engaging with practical approaches to problems, taking on a ‘roll with the punches’ mentality and persevering despite ‘failure’, we expand our potential for successfully incorporating actions and habits that will help us reach our goals and generate more positive experiences. Case in point, my experience with finally being able to do the ‘Roll Up’ left me ecstatic literally for days. And now that I know not to give up on something even though my progress seems slow, I feel that there are greater possibilities for positive and fulfilling experiences just around the corner.

So, if you’re in doubt, don’t fret. Remember that change takes time and you will get there. Once you do you will open up a whole new world of potential for yourself- the key is sticking with it and letting persistence be a part of your daily practice.

If you would like to read more about perseverance and how to strengthen your own resilience, check out this useful guide from Positive Psychology.