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How to Break Free from the “Perfect-Timing” Myth + FREE Action Plan Worksheet

Dec 02, 2019

If you talk to anyone who’s achieved ANYTHING big—whether it was finding a better job, losing weight, making a stable income, or eating a healthy diet—you’ll find that they have 2 things in common:

1) They didn’t wait for “perfect timing”—they just took action.

2) They got help on their way to the top.

Why We Get Stuck in Negative Cycles—Like Waiting for “Perfect Timing”

One key reason why many of us get so stuck in negative cycles and wait for “perfect timing” is that we have high and unrealistic expectations of ourselves. If you often forget to stay in the present moment, ask yourself this: “Where am I in my life right now?” or “Am I able to do the same thing I could do years ago?”

You might be older, have struggled with disturbing events, have more responsibilities, experienced big life changes, or had major/minor health issues. The life events you’ve experienced and your perception of yourself during these events can adversely affect your physical and psychological well-being, motivation, and self-esteem. These unrealistic expectations that you may have of yourself based on your past achievements can often lead to feelings of failure and disappointment, further deepening feelings of inadequacy and making you think that you need to wait for that “perfect timing.”

Create an Action Plan – ONE Small Step at a Time

By changing and improving ONE area of your life, whether it’s improving your physical fitness or learning a new skill, you can regain a sense of control, optimism, and vitality. By focusing on what you CAN DO rather than on what you CAN’T DO, you’re more likely to lead a positive and happy life. (Click to Tweet)

I want you to have CONFIDENCE in your ability to make a healthy change even if you don’t think you have “perfect timing.” To do this, create an action plan for ONE change today and begin adopting a new, healthier habit.

Here’s how:

1. Make a Decision to Change

Efficient self-change depends on doing the right thing at the right time. Making an elaborate action plan, for example, when you haven’t really decided that you truly want to change is a prescription for failure. I don’t want you to get bored, discouraged, or frustrated before you’ve even started to implement your plan. So ask yourself: Are you ready and willing to change?

2. Identify a Clear and Achievable Long-Term Goal

Your goal needs to be specific, measurable, realistic, flexible, and modifiable when needed. (E.g., I would like to be able to run 5 miles 3 times a week.)

3. Start Small and Increase As You Go

Identify an attainable short-term goal that could eventually lead to your long-term goal. Ask yourself the following: WHAT? HOW? WHEN? HOW OFTEN? (E.g., This week, I will walk around the block 2 times for 10 minutes.)

4. Assess Your Confidence Level

Once you set up your weekly goal, ask yourself how confident you are (referring to your belief in your own ability to succeed) that you will accomplish your weekly goal. If you use a 0–10 scale (where 10 means being highly confident), how confident are you that you will accomplish this goal? If your answer is less than 7, reduce or modify the goal (e.g., walk around the block once instead of twice this week for 10 minutes).

5. Get Committed

If you had only one day to live (or three days or six months), how would you live it?

6. Persist If You Relapse

“Two steps forward, one step back!” Relapse is often an integral part of change. Try to see relapses as setbacks that can be helpful ways of learning how to maintain change and what doesn’t work for you. You can always revise your plan accordingly.