4 Questions you should ask yourself when you are standing in the mirror

2016 is almost over . You might be like the many other people who started the new year off super strong with the best of intentions for healthy changes and resolutions to follow through, only to find your motivation now waning. This feels like the perfect time to hit the pause button and ask yourself these 4 questions as a way to embrace a kinder approach to staying on track with your goals and resolutions, and really connect with your “why” at a deeper level.

1. Is this useful?

It is very easy to spend time on things that don’t really matter. We can waste so much time going through the motions and sticking to something that has now lost value, all to save face and prove we aren’t quitters. Our thoughts and feelings can easily get wrapped up in feelings of inadequacy as we dwell in what didn’t happen or what just happened and how it defines who we think we are.

So it is time to step in front of the mirror and just get real for a moment.

Ask yourself: Is this useful?

This is your chance to evaluate the things you are doing, feeling and thinking. Is your approach to nutrition working? Is it useful? Is your current training program serving its purpose in meeting your goals? Is it useful right now to look for a new fitness and exercise regime? Is the way you speak to your body effective? What about how you see your body?

This might not yield the results you want, but exercising this mental muscle will allow you to pause more often instead of just going on autopilot and not progressing towards your goals.

1. What is the most important thing I can do right now?

This question will help you with juggling all those balls you have in the air. Reflecting on your priorities can allow you to put aside all the small, superficial things and get to some of the bigger tasks on your list. It can help you set priorities that make you feel accomplished and not feel so overwhelmed by a bottomless pit of things to do. It can move you out of the past and into the present moment to help. So that when it comes to health and fitness, you’ll know what the most important things are, which will make success a lot more attainable.

1. What is one step I can take right now to get the ball rolling?

This question will help you to you put down what has already happened and focus on the moment in front of you. Put aside the fact that you started strong and no longer have the same motivation or commitment level as you did in January, or perhaps the same intensity level you started with. Asking yourself this question will help get you out of procrastination-mode and into the present moment. Adjust the sails to get moving!

1. Will this matter in 3 months from now? 5 years from now?

This question will help you simplify and let go. To find a new perspective and focus on what really matters in your life. It can help you to consider if the small things you focus on are as important as they seem, as it is easy to make everything feel big. It can help you let go of what is not working.

So why the mirror?

Well, when was the last time you talked to yourself? When was the last time you used the mirror in a powerful way and not just as a tool to evaluate your flaws or to avoid your truth? It is time to develop a different relationship with our mirror - one of power and purpose.

Look deeply into your own beautiful eyes and ask yourself these 4 questions next time you feel stalled or overwhelmed - or simply when it is time to refocus or let go.