“I started out with goals and ended up with a whole new life.” That’s what my coaching client Stephanie exuberantly told me this week, but she wasn’t always so pleased with the progress we were making together.

Several times over the past year that we’ve worked together, she expressed concern that we weren’t moving fast enough. I kept coaching her back to the small, consistent actions that we were incorporating into her daily routine and diet choices. I knew that if she stayed the course that she would experience big results.

How was I so sure it would work? Because small, consistent action over time is what creates real change.

Go Big Or Go Home

Unfortunately, it’s been instilled into us, especially those of us who are high achievers, to ‘go big or go home.’ All or nothing. We’re afraid that if we don’t go big then we won’t live up to who we want to become. Because only big, exciting changes or habits lead to big results – at least that’s what we’ve been led to believe.

During a workshop on how to thrive as a leader through self-care and boundaries that I recently lead at the America Outdoors conference, I asked the highly successful head guides, managers and owners in the audience what it took to become the skilled boat-women and managers that they are now. The answer was resoundingly days on the river over time.

I’ll be bold and say that you are where you are right now because you showed up over and over again, and as your experience accumulated, so did your skill and wisdom. You didn’t become the successful person you are overnight.

Small habits may not be sexy to you, but they are sustainable over time. On the other hand, when you try to bite off big, sexy commitments that get your attention, your motivation fizzles out fast. That’s why so many people give up on their New Year Resolutions by the second week of January. The go-big-or-go-home approach doesn’t work. If it did more folks would stay with it and get results.

My work with Stephanie may have occurred slow to her at times, but she was able to maintain the habits, mindset strategies and diet choice over time – a whole year! Is a slow and steady building of habits and routines worth a whole new life to you?

Try to start the new year off right

This is the time for you to get really clear on who you want to become in 2022. What small, consistent habits can you commit to over time? Write them down and schedule them into your calendar now. Who you want to become + small habits + structure is what will help you be successful.

If you’re looking for ideas and inspiration, register for my 7-Day Winter Boundary Bootcamp coming up January 3rd -9th. I’ll guide you through 7 days of small, consistent habits that have the power to transform your health, wellbeing and confidence. It’s free and it’s awesome! Click here to learn more and register.