No matter your get-healthy goal—drop 10 pounds, adopt a cleaner diet, build muscle—the first step to success is the same: let go of your idea of “perfect,” because perfection just does not exist, says Aussie fitness sensation Emily Skye. Perfectionism is ultimately a motivation killer because when you inevitably have an off day, or you compare yourself to someone else who’s fitter or thinner than you, you’ll wind up spending more energy beating yourself up about it than actually working toward your own goals. There will be days where you just can’t make it to the gym, and there will be other days where you somehow make it to bedtime without ever consuming a vegetable. When that happens, just brush it off, and start fresh the next day.
One way to combat your perfectionist tendencies is to set small, incremental goals. Let’s say, for example, that you would like to eventually lose 50 pounds. “It can be really scary when you set yourself some massive goal, you just think it’s so far away—how am I ever going to reach it?” Skye says. So instead, set a goal to lose 1 pound per week—and celebrate each time you do it.
Get more tricks like these by signing up for the 30-Day Love Your Strength Challenge, a four-week program hosted by Health and Skye that helps you become your healthiest, happiest self, both inside and out.
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No time to watch the video? Here’s the full transcript:
Now I always tell people that it’s all about being the best you can be. It’s not about comparing yourself to other people or striving for perfection, because it doesn’t exist. I tried to do that for many years and I can tell you it left me unsatisfied and unhappy. I just didn’t feel good about myself. So you’ve got to set realistic goals for you, focus on your own journey, and don’t worry about anyone else. Don’t get distracted by what they’re doing.
It can be really scary when you set yourself some massive goal, you just think it’s so far away—how am I ever going to reach it? That’s why I tell people to break it up into smaller goals, so then you can set these smaller goals that you can work toward and once you achieve that goal you can be proud of yourself and celebrate the small achievements.