Goals VS. Lifestyle

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My health journey thus far, realistically, has been very successful.  The count down to my 30th birthday is just over a month away and my fitness and diet goals have been coming along consistently. I am seeing fat loss and muscle definition in its place.  But instead of jumping for joy I let my outrageous expectations based on other peoples experiences disappoint me despite the real progress I have made. I have tantrums in my mind about how far along I "should" be by now. I even question whether its worth it sometimes (mind you its only been 2 months since I introduced myself to Paleo)
mind numbing rants...

The wrong expectations

I always hear new Paleo diet converts say things like "I have SO much more energy", "My hair and skin look AMAZING now!", "I have lost 10 lbs in ONE week!"

WHERE IS THE FINISH LINE?!!!?

Well, my experience has been much less dramatic than any of the statements above.  But that's not to say I haven't seen changes....I've been crossfitting for 4 months and been on a pretty strict Paleo diet for the latter 2 months and my body is definitely changing. I catch myself flexing in the mirror sometimes when I see a glimpse of a new muscle emerging, I notice the wear marks on my belt where the buckle used to fasten a few notches looser and I feel more confident in all my clothes. So why isn't that enough? Why am I always looking at how far away the finish line is and never at how far I've already come?

The wrong focus

My closest friends and family patiently listen daily as I tell them my new goals, the next BIG change I'm going to make, the ways I'm going to introduce some NEW thing to my regiment in order to reach the next goal in a shorter period of time. (Did i mention i do this ALL-THE-TIME!) While these little incentives have been a great tool for the first few months by getting me over the hump of introducing a new diet and exercise regiment, I question whether continuing to rely so heavily on them is really setting me up to maintain a lifestyle change.  You see, I set a goal, attain it and then what? Do I stop? With every goal or challenge there is an inherent "end" to it. My continual goal setting sets a narrow scope of time, where I obsessed over crushing the next challenge, thus training myself for the sprint of a diet and not the marathon of a healthy life. I worry that if I rely to heavily on short term goals that when they are over I'll slowly begin sliding back into old habits.  Will I continue to set  goals? YES! but should I let them run my life? I think not. I believe the motto I use about my career applies here  "I don't live to ( work, diet, exercise, set goals) I do them to LIVE!"

The right mind-set

I need to just be Leah and make the best decisions for my body that will benefit my long term health. I must simply remember that with consistency and time the fat and muscle ratio will work it self out and my body will reach its optimal shape. The other day I read a post called Paleo Women are Phat which really helped me adjust my perspective to a more realistic one about my expectations.   While the author of this post is a bit extreme about the topic by suggesting that women are not "supposed" to be lean, I think she understands and has accepted that her body is going to be different than those around her.  She has helped me to realize that the best ME is not going to be just like you. Every body is different and it is precisely that which makes each of us uniquely beautiful.  My results won't be the same as yours because I may be short and curvy, and you may be tall and lean.  But each of us has the opportunity to be the healthiest version of ourselves that we can.

What do you do to keep your self on track?