This past week I celebrated my 26th birthday.  I also thought of things that I had accomplished over my life as well as the things that I want to accomplish.  Clearly I am still relatively young and I have a lot of living left to do.  I know that I want to make the most of that time and for me, making goals to strive for really helps.

When I first decided to be healthier, I made big goals of losing a ton of weight and eating perfectly and exercising every day.  While those are good goals, they are big picture goals.  Those goals can also often seem unattainable, and if you’re like me, you want to feel like you’re actually accomplishing something.  Over time I realized I had to make smaller and more realistic goals.  Instead of losing a ton of weight, I focused on fitting better into my clothes.  Instead of eating perfectly, I focused on choosing better options than what I had been previously eating.  Instead of exercising every day, I focused on running a little farther each time I went out for a run.  With these more manageable goals, I saw results and felt so proud of myself for accomplishing things.  I kept up with making smaller goals to be met.  I ran in a 5k race and then a 10k race.  I started doing yoga and practicing more difficult poses.  I immersed myself in learning how to cook with healthier ingredients and now can create my own meals and recipes to be shared with others.  I stopped focusing on a number on the scale and feel comfortable and proud of the body I have and all that it can do.

It is important to have goals and it is also important to have big goals.  All the little goals I made and met, helped to move me toward my ultimate goal of being as healthy as I possibly could.  I am still working towards that, but I am knocking out the little steps all along the way.  You can do that too.  Maybe you want to be healthier, maybe you want a better job, or maybe you just want to get through the day with less stress.  Set small and attainable goals for yourself that will help you reach that overall goal.  Once you meet those little goals that you set, you’ll be more motivated to keep going and meet that ultimate goal.

With all of that being said, I wanted to set another large goal for me to accomplish.  I have really developed a passion for health as well as a heart for helping others to enjoy the best health they can.  I want to make this my everyday work and I feel that the best way for me to get my message across and help others is to become a health coach.  I have been researching this for quite some time now, and I am ready to start taking steps to reach that goal.  What am I going to do to help that?  I have been looking into certifications, once I settle on one I can start classes.  I will continue to write and maintain this blog, as well as continue to learn as much about health and nutrition as I can.  I want to start looking for opportunities to reach more people with my knowledge and message, maybe reaching out to people and offering my help.  As long as I am moving towards that ultimate goal of health coach I am open to anything.

Sure, it is a little scary to declare that you are going to do something.  What if you fail?  What if it’s impossible?  What if others don’t believe in you?  Yes, those things can happen.  You could also succeed, prove others wrong, and become a better version of you.  You won’t know until you try!