Choose your cheerleaders wisely

A strong support system strengthens your resilience and commitment to stick to your goals.

Define what support you need. 

Once you've chosen a simple, specific goal that you're confident with, it's time to pick your cheerleaders. There are people around you who want to see you succeed. So, ask yourself, "who in my circle of family, friends, co-workers, etc., best meets my needs?"

Before rushing over to your best friend or co-worker to ask for their help, you need to determine what kind of support you need from them. For example, do you need help brainstorming ways to handle challenges? If so, does your best friend or co-worker meet that need? Or would somebody else be better for the job? 
   
Ask for the support you need.

After defining who your cheerleaders are, let them know what you're up to and ASK FOR THEIR HELP.

You'll need to be specific with them. Saying, "can you help me" doesn't give your cheerleaders the information they need to actually help you achieve your goal. Let them know you need help keeping yourself accountable, that you need them not to do or say things that can trigger you in a negative way, etc.

Remember, even the best players need help from their team members. 

Here’s an example:

GOAL: I will replace my mid-afternoon sugary snack with a piece of fruit for the next 30 days and log what I eat on my phone.

WHO AND WHAT I NEED: I will ask my co-workers not to break out the chocolate in front of me; my husband to buy fruit and vegetables at the store each week for my snack, and my best friend to text me every week to see how it’s going.

If anyone is unwilling to help, remember there are seven billion other people on this planet to choose from!
 

In our next blog post we will reveal the SECRET to achieving long-lasting lifestyle changes.