Do you have the best intentions when it comes to starting healthy habits, but struggle when it comes to staying consistent?

If so, you’re not alone! Most of us have tried and failed many, many times.

Then we feel bad about ourselves, thinking we don’t have the willpower, self-discipline, or motivation to stick to our goals.

But did you know you can actually change your brain pathways by replacing old habits with new ones, making them second nature? By Repeating NEW actions over and over, you create new neural connections in your brain and the old ones start to fade away.

Little mental and emotional energy and almost no willpower is required because your new habits are now on autopilot – kind of like your drive home from work every day, taking the same route.

But you have to set yourself up for success from the outset so you’re able to stick with your new actions long enough for them to become habits.

That’s why I want to share the top 3 reasons what you’re doing isn’t working and how to create habits on autopilot.

1. You’re tying to change too much at once. One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to form a new habit is taking on too much, too quickly. I know you want to make big changes as quickly as possible, but that all-or-nothing mentality will get you every time! Drastic changes are nearly impossible to sustain, so you have to start small! Setting incremental goals and building on them step-by-step is what sets you up for success.​

2. You have trouble staying motivated and give up if you don’t see big results quickly. Most of us need some kind of accountability system to keep us on track because motivation ebbs and flows. Here are a few suggestions to keep you accountable and moving forward….

  • Use the buddy system. You’ll be more likely to hit the gym or take a walk if you know you’re meeting someone. Plus, it’s more fun.
  • Go public with your goals. Post on social media or share with your friends and family.
  • Get outside help. You’re waaaaay more likely to show up consistently if you hire a coach or trainer who’s expecting you to be there. (Plus, you’ve got some “skin in the game”!)
  • Write it down and put it where you can see it. Seeing your goals on paper helps keep you focused on your end goal and reminds you what you’re working toward.
  • Keep track. Measuring your progress also helps keep you motivated because you can see forward progress and how far you’ve come. Mark an X on the calendar for every day you eat well, exercise, or get to bed early.

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3. You give up as soon as life happens and you miss a day or two. It’s not pass or fail! It’s not all or nothing!

  • Focus on progress, not perfection. No matter what you’re setting out to achieve, go easy on yourself. Forming new habits takes time and there will be bumps along the way.
  • Reward yourself for each step in the right direction, no matter how small. If you’re like most people, you’re much better at beating yourself up for a bad performance than you are at rewarding yourself for a good one. But research shows that celebrating your progress is crucial for your motivation because it activates the reward circuitry in your brain. These feel-good emotions motivate you to take more action and create bigger successes in the future.
  • Get back on track. If you skip a workout or fall off your diet plan, don’t beat yourself up or throw in the towel. If you lose momentum, you can always pick back up where you left off.

If you really want to maintain something, you have to take it slowly and go step by step. It’s not what you do once in a while that makes or breaks your goals. Overall, consistency is what creates success. It’s what you do day after day that adds up.