Thriving while surviving - is it even possible?
Another lesson from Hannah's life - what I learned after 4 days with a sick and teething toddler.
[At the time of this writing,] I’m sitting next to my 2-year-old son in order to get him to nap. It has been four days of him simultaneously battling an incoming molar and a virus - the same virus our older son had just over a week over. To say it’s been a long few days has been an understatement. Our normal daily routine has been temporarily exchanged with reruns of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and nighttime sleep has fared a little better. Exhausted, in a strange funk, and eager for normal to return, I find myself surviving through the day as opposed to thriving.
Now, I know that it’s a pipe dream to imagine that every day will be perfect. Inevitably, an event gets added last minute to the schedule, an ingredient for dinner spoils, or traffic turns a 20-minute drive in 45. When one of these days hits - no big deal - but repeatedly hectic days can be a significant roadblock to wellness progress. In fact, it’s a big reason why clients fall off the bandwagon of whatever new habit they’re working to implement.
So, here’s my question for you: Are you effectively equipping your clients for the unforeseen challenges that make accomplishing (fill in the blank) difficult?
In order to effectively initiate change, there are two spheres that we must teach:
The Ideal - what we’d want things to look like 100% of the time.
The Realistic - what things actually look like.
We all want to live in the ideal, where everything goes perfectly all the time. But life isn’t perfect and rarely do things operate in the manner we hope.
When it comes to long-term, sustainable changes, having an idealist mindset in an unpredictable world is a serious risk factor for giving up. Let’s face it - some days it just isn’t possible to stick to the plan. (I know I’m not the only one who has been there - cue my recent reality of sickness, cuddles, and cartoons…) Your job in supporting clients is to help them survive well when thriving is not an option.
Here’s your to-do list:
Talk to your clients about the ideal vs. the realistic anytime you’re implementing a new habit.
Regularly reiterate the fact that surviving well is not failing.
Talk about realistic strategies to get back on track when things really do fall apart - because at some point, they will. We’ve all been there.
Don’t be afraid to be transparent about your own surviving well experience. (Remember, realism here not perfection!)