It’s a Monday. A new month. A New Year.

We tell ourselves we’re “starting over” yet again.

But we aren’t starting over.

We’re just moving forward.

Life doesn’t stop. Doesn’t pause…unless you’re dead….

Everything we’ve done prior is still there and still impacts our current situation.

Starting over hints at a clean slate.

But that isn’t the case.

I mention this because so often we sort of dig ourselves a deeper hole over a weekend or a week or an extended prior of time because of plans to “start over,” only to ultimately make it harder and harder on ourselves to move forward.

We need to stop this horrible cycle.

We need to remind ourselves that life doesn’t pause.

That the only way to get results is to find a way forward even when times aren’t ideal.

If we aren’t doing something to move forward, we’re losing progress.

And the thing is…that only makes where we’re “starting over” from worse.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 tips to help you get out of that pause and start over mentality to see that you can do something to keep yourself moving forward to RAMP UP when you’re motivated.

Because that is truly what we’re doing…not starting over but RAMPING UP!

Tip #1: Stop Expecting Perfection. Seek To Learn

I don’t care how amazing you are, you’re not perfect.

And you’re never going to be.

And that’s not a bad thing.

But we need to stop expecting a perfect time in life where everything is going to go right and we are never going to mess up or slip up on a habit or routine.

Because there will always be deviations.

And it isn’t so much the mistakes that hold us back.

Nope!

They can be valuable learning lessons, sometimes even the best learning lessons, if we allow them to be.

Instead too often we make ourselves feel GUILTY about the mistake.

We feel guilty we aren’t perfect.

And this holds us back. It makes us feel the need to “start over.”

It makes us feel like we have to pause our workout routine or program because we can’t do it perfectly.

But all that ultimately does is dig that hold. Make us quit on something that may have been working.

It prevents us from LEARNING from the experiences to move forward faster ultimately.

I think going in, the more we can admit there will be mistakes and even embrace them for the learning they can provide, the more we will move forward even when we feel like we’ve made a mistake that has set us back!

Tip #2: Set Minimums. You Won’t Always Be Motivated.

I say this often but we need to at time embrace doing the minimum.

I know many of us feel that if we can’t go all out, do things 110% they aren’t worth doing.

But that holds us back from taking even small steps forward as we’re able to capitalize on later.

The simple fact is, life often will try to get in the way. And we won’t always be motivated.

But we can still move forward to lay that foundation in these times by setting minimums.

And by staying on these minimums we can often CREATE motivation. We can CREATE a better situation.

Instead of digging ourselves a hole.

So if you feel like you need to pause your program, you need to start over another day that is better, instead find one thing you can keep doing.

Sure it may not be ideal, but you’ll be surprised by how much it prevents you from going backward.

How much it even helps you get back on track faster.

The more you do, the more you do. Keep that momentum moving forward.

And remember that small steps forward are still steps forward!

Tip #3: Catch Yourself In The Act

I think the pausing a program, quitting to start over mindset, is so ingrained in many of us, we don’t fully realize we are doing it.

Heck going into this last holiday season I saw it come out strong in myself.

Healthy habits wanted to slide since I was planning to test out some new stuff anyway in the New Year.

I mean…if I have all of this stuff coming up anyway….

And I caught myself in the act of making the excuse.

When I realized it, I started to set minimums.

Sure I may have to slightly adjust my workout schedule.

What could I have ready for those times I needed something quick or wasn’t motivated? What may be more “fun” even if it wasn’t ideal?

And sure, maybe there would be lots of days it would be harder to hit specific macros…

But I could still track. I could still set a calorie cap. A protein minimum.

I could still focus on dialing in meals around ones I wasn’t in control of.

There is so much within our power to change and control. We need to see those opportunities.

And that starts with catching ourselves in the act of thoughts and actions that don’t move us forward.

We can only change something when we start to catch ourselves in the act of doing it.

So as you’re making changes, if you find yourself saying you want to pause something or start over, STOP that thought and give yourself one thing you can still do that day even if it isn’t ideal.