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I bet you’ve made this mistake before.

You’ve set a challenge for yourself. Maybe it was to quit sugar, to train for a 10k or to find a new job.
You go hard for a few days, maybe even for a few weeks. But then, inevitably, you slip up. You miss a bunch of training sessions or maybe you get stuck in a Netflix binge spiral and completely miss that job application deadline.

And then… you fall into an “I’m failing” mindset, which kicks off a whole lot of mean chat from your inner critic:

I’m a loser
I never should have tried
Another thing I didn’t manage to stick to.

Before long, you give up completely.

This is one of the most common issues I see people face when they try to achieve their goals.  You’re not alone.

I want you to get this into your skull: everyone slips up when working towards a goal. It’s normal!

The issue is not that you make a mistake. The issue is the way you see that mistake Tweet it!

Here’s a trick I use to change the way I see my slip ups.

I think about every step I need to take towards my goal and then I picture each of those steps as a coin. I know, it’s weird, but bear with me here!

Each time I step closer to achieving my goal, I picture a coin going into my goal bank. Every time I don’t take that step towards my goal, I picture a coin being taken out.

The way I see it, if you have enough coins in your bank, it’s ok to make a few withdrawals here and there.

Have a think about all the steps you’ve taken towards your goal. Picture them as a pile of coins.

Now think about all the times you’ve slipped up. Picture those times as coins.

Which pile is bigger? I bet you’ve been making more deposits than you realised. And remember, you don’t lose the work of every deposit you’ve made just by slipping up once!

If, on other hand, your withdrawals pile is bigger than your deposits, it might be time to re-think that goal. Maybe there’s a new way to look at it, or maybe you just need a bit more support to achieve it.

Let me know in the comments below if this tip works for you!

Turia xx

Want more tips like this?

Uh, yeah, of course you do! I share my favourite tips for shifting my mindset and smashing BIG goals inside my eBook Mindset Magic.

More than 8,000 people have already implemented the strategies contained in Mindset Magic into their lives. I can’t wait for you to get stuck in too!

Click here to get Mindset Magic.

Mindset Magic is the proverbial ‘kick in the butt’ you’ve been waiting for! Packed with insightful tips, inspirational quotes, a pinch of science and a heap of practical strategies from the queen of smashing goals herself  – Turia Pitt – this book will have you up and running in no time. Literally, in my case – signed up for a half marathon today after finishing it! Thanks Turia! Amazing as always!
– Imogen Carlisle

2 Comments

  • Bec says:

    This tip is brilliant & great timing. I am supposed to start my half marathon training & was talking myself out it on the way home from work. Thank you x

  • Annette Gibbard says:

    It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you failed instead of looking at how far you have come. Thanks for the reminder.