This post focuses on 4 key strategies you can use to create a plan to succeed on a raw food diet. There are many different ways to aspire to a healthy diet and lifestyle. What we’ll be concerned with here are the fundamentals of basic goal planning to build a foundation for your raw food lifestyle.The 4 strategies are:
1. Set Goals Think about what it is you want to achieve and how you want to go about achieving it. Be specific enough so that you know exactly what you are striving toward. Work with both ends of the scale; make some goals big and some small. In other words mix it up, have some goals that are immediately attainable, some that can be reached in short periods of time, as well as, big goals that require more time to reach. This goal setting strategy creates a sense of balance so you don’t end up getting discouraged enough to chuck your goals before you get to experience success. If you want to begin a raw diet, for example, your immediate goal could be to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into your daily diet and your big goal could be to get to 100% raw.
2. Write Your Goals Write each goal on paper, in a journal, notebook or type each goal to create an electronic document. Then as you complete a goal – big or small – mark it as accomplished. This method may seem like a small thing, but it will help track your achievement and progression toward your goal. As an example, one of my goals for this year is to plant a flourishing organic container garden. I’ll need to decide what type of plants I’d like then order seeds and supplies accordingly. This single goal is written down with a list of steps [some of the steps even have projected dates]. This helps define my plan with clarity and again, it is specific. As I tick off each step, each goal, I can see I’m making progress. It becomes a motivational booster for me. You can see how a big goal is a series of simple actions and steps and every action toward a step contributes to the goal. Try this method to map out your raw food diet strategy and see how you can quickly progress to success.
3. Act On Your Plans Now you have goals and clarity of intent, it’s time to act. Your actions generate results. Act in ways that are in harmony with your goals. We can always change the way we approach our habits to pave the way to make it a way of life. Here’s a simple exercise I’ve found helped open a window into understanding my personal eating style. Evaluate your eating habits rather than simply eating out of habit. You may be surprised and begin to see a pattern. The ideal behind this self-evaluation is to snuff out less rewarding actions and replace them with more rewarding ones. Reaching for an apple instead of a candy bar, or forgoing sugary sweet drinks in place of fresh juices are positive decisions that contribute to your goal.
4. Do Your Best When we first set out to start anything new it can seem like a difficult and daunting task. Reaching any goal requires persistence and regular attention. Work toward your goals and above all simply do your best. This means doing the best you can at any given moment, in any given circumstance. My first three months into my raw journey I was 100% raw until one evening when I attended a friend’s birthday party at a Thai restaurant. I knew raw wasn’t on the menu so I ordered the best thing I could under the circumstance, a vegetarian dish. The next day I picked up where I left off without self-judgment, frustration, guilt, or regrets. No matter what the reason, if you happened to fall short on a step or goal, don’t despair. Reassess your goals and pick up where you left off. Achieve your goals and make every moment, day, month and year the best yet.
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