Women, overall, are very hard on themselves.  We expect perfection from ourselves in anything we do.  Be it at work, at home, or in the gym, we want to achieve everything at 100% success rates.  Is this realistic?  Not really.  But knowing that doesn’t mean we expect it any less.

I know that I will beat myself up for eating fast food, or too much candy.  Is that fair to do to myself?  I’m not sure.  It isn’t a question of whether I want the end result bad enough.  It’s more a question of whether or not I should expect myself to never eat anything that isn’t good for me.  Sometimes, a chocolate bar, or a small french fries, is good for you.

If I expect 100% healthy eating from myself, I set myself up for a huge letdown.  Basically, if I choose one thing “off course” then I might scrap the whole day, and give in to eating all junk, all day.  One small diversion from the path you’ve set out for yourself doesn’t ruin the entire day.  Or week.

It’s about the small victories.  Like when you go out to a restaurant, and choose to put half your order into a box and take it home BEFORE you start eating.  Or when you get up off the couch and go for a walk.  Each small improvement, every single minor change, adds up to a big difference.

So I keep this motto I learned at Jenny Craig foremost in my mind, so that I won’t expect the impossible, and I will celebrate the positive steps I make.  “Progress, not perfection.”  It’s a good thing to remember, because it helps you love every small positive, and let go of any negatives.  The more you celebrate, the healthier you live.