Setting killer goals is important but it doesn’t mean you’ll never experience failure or setbacks.
You need to identify potential obstacles or challenges then put appropriate strategies in place to prevent or mitigate the risks and help you stick to your goals. For example, if you know that you tend to be all talk and no action, book a personal training session for accountability or train with a friend.
The problem is that most people assume that all strategies are equally effective. In reality, there’s no single approach that works for everyone.
Understanding how you tend to respond to inner and outer expectations is the secret to creating and upholding healthy habits.
The Four Tendencies framework – created by Gretchin Rubin – is a useful tool to help understand how you respond to your inner and outer expectations. Are you an Obliger, Rebel, Questioner or Upholder?
Knowing your tendency or type can help you create conditions conducive to achieving your goals and, when it comes to creating and upholding healthy habits, each tendency has a winning strategy!
You might be an Upholder if…
you like knowing how things should be done and are naturally quite disciplined.
Upholders readily meet internal and external expectations so, if an upholder says they’re going to do something, you better believe they’ll do it! They’re self-directed and usually don’t need to be reminded or cajoled… even when something is challenging or uncomfortable.
The #1 strategy for Upholders is scheduling. To learn more about the Questioner, click here.
You might be a Questioner if…
you require a logical reason before taking action.
Surprise, surprise, questioners tend to ask A LOT of questions! They value reason, research and information and tend to dislike arbitrary rules. They openly question expectations and will only take action if they believe it’s warranted or justified. They have a strong internal compass and will follow their own judgment, even if it flies in the face of expert advice
The #1 strategy for Questioners is clarity. To learn more about the Questioner, click here.
You might be an Obliger if…
you like or need accountability in order to get stuff done.
Obligers readily meet outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations. In order to achieve their goals and create sustainable change, Obligers must have systems of external accountability in place. They benefit from deadlines, oversight, monitoring and other forms of accountability.
The #1 strategy for Obligers is accountability. To learn more about the Obliger, click here.
You might be a Rebel if…
you want freedom to do things your way.
Rebels value freedom, choice, self-expression, and authenticity and tend to resist both outer and inner expectations. This can make it hard (but not impossible) for a Rebel to set and achieve goals. Not only do they actively resist being told what to do but they may also resist their inner guidance, even when it’s something they want to do. Rebels don’t respond well to supervision, advice, direction, routine or schedules. They love doing things differently – in their own way and time – so, when they view a habit as an expression of their unique identity, it’s more likely to stick.
The #1 strategy for Rebels is identity. To learn more about the Rebel, click here.
Overcome your obstacles
I’ve lost count of the fitness goals I’ve abandoned because of roadblocks and hurdles I encountered in my external environment. Believe me, I’m allllll too familiar with obstacles and excuses!
Too tired…
Not motivated…
Too much work to do…
Don’t know what to do…
When you know what the obstacles are, you can figure out how to eliminate, avoid or manage them so they don’t get in your way.
So, now you know how you respond to inner and outer expectations, you can start to identify potential obstacles and implement strategies to overcome them. We’ve created a workbook to help you do just that!
DOWNLOAD YOUR WORKBOOKIf achieving your goals was easy, we’d all be doing it, right!?
Sometimes you need a helping hand. You know, someone to help you navigate the roadblocks so you can bring your dreams and goals to life. That’s exactly what a life and wellness coach does. Click here to find out more.
– Georgina –
