Top 10 Success Tips to Getting and Staying Healthy

Sometimes we just need a little nudge, the reminder that it’s all about taking that first step. Then it’s about consistency and forgiveness. Here are a few of the things that I’ve found to be so important in starting on any life-changing path. I’ll use the example here for getting healthy, but as you will see, it works for lots of different goals. I can write about each tip forever, but I’m going to keep it short and sweet for now!

1)     Decide.  First and foremost, you need to choose to do it and then commit rather than saying “someday” I’ll do it. Kind of like my book title Choose to Live. A couple of years ago, when I was challenged by coming up with the title for my book, my new friend, Jill Albani, asked me “What’s the first thing you tell someone when they want to work with you?” I answered, “I tell them they have to Choose to Live”! Simple as that! You have to choose to do it! It was two years ago this week that I pressed “send” and the final version of my book went off to the publisher. Then I jumped in the pool with my clothes on to celebrate!

2)     It’s all about taking that first step.  Here’s the thing…nothing can change if we don’t do something differently.  If something is keeping us from being healthy or happy and we don’t change the way we do things, nothing will change. So just take that first step!

3)     Make it manageable.  Don’t make it bigger than it is.  Set yourself up to win.  Break it down into little steps and little wins. If you’re not currently faced with a serious health challenge and you have the luxury of taking little steps, that’s a great way to start.  You can look at each aspect of your goal and break it into projects and then steps within the project.  Lay it out so that it’s not overwhelming and then choose one thing to start with.  The little victories are how you build momentum towards your goal.

4)     Set a date and get started – no excuses. I believe in adding new things in before taking things out whenever possible. Nature abhors a vacuum so you are so much more successful when you start adding things in which will ultimately push other things out. Whether it’s adding in a salad, a green juice, more veggies, a smoothie or meditation, it’s all about getting started. After that consistency is the key.

5)     Every little bit counts.  You may remember this quote from Choose to Live that sums it all up: If you start cleaning yourself out and building your immune system, each thing you do and every time you do it will add time to your life. The first instance will add one minute to your life. The second thing you do might add 5 minutes. Add a different way of helping yourself, and you might add an hour. Be consistent, and before you know it, you’ve added a day, a week, and then a year. Keep going, and you’ve added five years. Next thing you know, you could have a complete shift in your entire biological structure! Every little bit counts and that pretty much sums it up.

6)     Support Increases Success.  Ask for help and support: a mentor, coach or accountability buddy. You increase your success drastically when you have someone else to support you in being successful. For example, a mentor who can shortcut your learning curve, lessen your “mis”-takes, sidetracks or wrong turns and get you there so much faster. I’ve had mentors for years and I’m a mentor to others on their healing journeys, and I can tell you, the ability to reach goals drastically increases. Another great way to increase your success rate is to have an accountability buddy – you’ll check in on each other daily to make sure you have done what you said you would do to get you closer to your goals. That’s why people have exercise buddies. They have someone else who encourages them, which increases their success. I know I’m much more successful when I’m receiving encouragement and time saving shortcuts. How about you?

7)     Celebrate Your Success. It’s soooo important to celebrate your wins. A great way to do this is with a Success Journal. At the end of each day, write down all your successes for the day, and I mean all of them…big and small. A great time to do it is just before you go to sleep. That way, you’re going off to sleep feeling good about what you did get done, rather than thinking about what you didn’t get done. I also celebrate and say “nice job” to myself when I do something as simple as drinking my wheatgrass every morning. Oh, and keep celebrating — every win, every time, everyday!

8)     Trust your Intuition.  Intuition is way underestimated. We all have it, yes we do, some stronger than others, but nevertheless we all have it. It can be our best friend and strongest guide. If something feels really right, pay attention and keep doing it, if something doesn’t, change it. If you get that little feeling, that little voice in your head saying “this doesn’t feel right”, check in to see if it’s fear, resistance or something else saying, “this isn’t right”!

9)     Don’t get it perfect, just get going.  Perfectionism can be one of the biggest blocks to hold you back and keep you from reaching your goals.  It’s a lifelong lesson for me.  You don’t have to worry about getting it “perfect”, after all, there is no “perfect”, especially in the beginning.  Just get it going.

10)  Forgive.  Last but not least…and the second most important, (after Decide) is to forgive yourself.  If you mess up, forgive yourself and just pick up where you left off.  We can be our own worst enemy or our own best friend.  We get to choose!

If you would like to find out more about getting to the root causes of what may be keeping you from having a vibrant healthy life,  click below to receive our free download “7 ‘Must Knows’ To Create Your Vibrant Healthy Life” along with your complimentary chapter of Joyce’s #1 bestselling book Choose to Live click here