I asked one of the women in my GLOW10 Tribe the other day how she was going with the program, she said “I’ve fallen off the wagon the past couple of weeks but it’s ok, because I know I will pick it back up again”
I can’t TELL you how happy this makes me.
And the reason why was that she was showing me, in this one little comment, that she had developed some self efficacy.
Self-efficacy is your belief in your ability to successfully complete a task.
And guess what? Psychology research tells us that self efficacy is one of the biggest predictors of whether or not you’ll succeed at reaching your goal. Simply put, we won’t do something unless we believe we can do it successfully.
Think of it this way->
If you were told that buying $1,000 worth of instant scratchies would give you a 99% chance of winning a million dollars, you’d jump at the opportunity, right? Why wouldn’t you?
But what if I told you your chances of winning were only 1%? You’d probably avoid it because it sounds too risky, right?!
It’s the same with exercise or nutrition or any health habit we’re trying to start.
We just don’t want to invest the time, effort, energy if we don’t believe in our ability to stick to it?
We basically talk ourselves out of it before we even have the chance to prove we can do it.
And this is the catch 22.
For us to believe we are capable of something, we usually need to have the experience of doing it before.
What if we don’t have that?
It’s like needing industry experience to get a job but no-one giving you a job because you don’t have.industry experience!
Given this is such an important predictor, not just in achieving your goals, but actually starting them in the first place, I want to give you 3 hot tips for building self efficacy around starting a new exercise habit.
My 3 Hot tips for building Self Efficacy
HOT TIP NUMBER 1
Adjust the initial goal so that it’s something you actually do believe you can do, or that you have achieved before. This might mean, 1 long walk a week, Or 1 x 20min workout a week. What have you achieved before, with consistency (not perfection) for a short period of time? Actually visualise yourself having rest days, not being perfect, but still moving forward.
HOT TIP NUMBER 2
Please reconsider your belief that showing up perfectly (based on whatever standard you’ve set for yourself) is the only way you will achieve your goal. Big amazing journeys are achieved with lots of small steps in the right direction. The only way you can fail is by not putting one foot in front of the other, and turning back.
HOT TIP NUMBER 3
Look for examples of relatable people around you who are doing what you want to be doing. And – this is important – focus on your similarities with those people, rather than your differences. When you see someone achieving a similar goal to what you are striving for, AND you can relate to them, it can remind you that it’s possible. Just allow a little bit of their self efficacy to rub off.
So, remember: nothing matters unless you believe you can do it.
Don’t waste your time trying to build the perfect exercise program or meal plan.
Spend time and energy instead on strengthening your self-efficacy, and you’ll be off to a far better start with a great chance of success.