I wanted to give you a recipe for eggplant chips today. I saw them in a magazine recently and was so excited to make them…but they fell way below expectations.

(Or, maybe your expectations for eggplant chips were low already? Good call.)

I haven’t been doing anything different. But I’ve been expecting a different result.Here’s how my personal health pattern plays out: there are weeks of whining about wanting to get back into shape, and doing nothing differently. Then there are weeks (WEEKS!) that I half-ass it and whine, followed by a week or two of not believing I can do it at all and giving up, followed by the magic weeks: The pink cloud of getting into a routine, seeing results, and craving more. Throw in a couple more backlash weeks and then I finally hit my groove.

It is long, painful process that could be cut in half if I spent half the amount of time whining as I did working my literal butt off. Are you ready to really do something differently to meet your goals, health-related or otherwise? Me too.

The first step is having a clear visualization of your goal. Make it as specific as you can. “I want to have more energy,” or “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to spend less time online” are not clear enough. You need an image to burn into your brain when you’re least sure of yourself.  Is it feeling stunning in your wedding dress? Is it going to your annual doctor’s appointment and having them tell you you’re in great health?Is it self-publishing that novel you’ve been slaving over? Is it running 5 miles and feeling like you could run a sixth?

My visualization: Trevor and I are headed to Sri Lanka at the end of June. I want to hike up Adam’s Peak (pictured above and below) feeling healthy, fit, and boundless. I want less weight to carry up that mountain, and more muscle to propel me. I want to reach the peak at sunrise, and radiate pride.

Motivation is what gets the ball rolling, but it’s discipline that brings us the results. We’ll tackle the next steps together throughout the following weeks. For now: what’s your visualization?