Yesterday I got up, pulled on my work out clothes, laced up my running shoes and ran….my child to school since he forgot his backpack. It was progress, the day before I hadn’t even put the workout clothes on. I am finding it difficult lately to get all the things done in the hours I have each day. So I make choices and I don’t always choose correctly. I am willing to allow myself some temporary forgiveness. However, I find it necessary also to celebrate the small steps of progress. So, silly as it might sound, I did pat myself on the back for the workout clothes yesterday. They did make me consider hopping on the treadmill for a mile or two. A thought rejected shortly thereafter, but all the same.

I find that sometimes, it is easier to jump to the small criticisms than the small victories: you forget something and you beat yourself up about it. You fail to celebrate the fact that you remembered something else every day that week.
Example: you are working towards a goal of fitness. Maybe you want to get up every morning and run five miles. Maybe the first morning you just set your alarm. Good for you. Instead of beating yourself up for not getting up, congratulate yourself for at least setting the alarm.

Trust me, I don’t advocate mediocrity-far from it. But take a step that you can count as progress. Positivity and progress begets positivity and progress. Negativity and criticism begets more of the same. Which would you rather live in?

So back to my workout clothes. This morning found me in my combination meditation workout room moving through stretches and yoga poses for 20 minutes. I felt so much lighter, positive and energetic. It wasn’t five miles, I wasn’t in the running for the cover of any fitness magazine, nor do I want to be. But I felt satisfied, content with me. I felt like I was moving forward…progress.

Do you have something in your life that has gone stagnant? Is there an area in your life that you need to shift focus from criticism to praise and progress? Identify that area if you have one, then find one small step to take to give credit to and be proud of it. You are making progress. Now there is no limit to what you can do next.

Jennifer Lewis is a Life Coach and Entrepreneur living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is available for personal and professional coaching in person or over the phone, speaking and workshops/classes.
You can contact her via her website www.nolimitslifecoach.com and she is on Facebook under No Limits Life Coach.