Last week, we offered a tip for how to get motivated with self-improving habits. If you haven’t read it, go read it now! 
Today, we’re offering another motivational tip: Expect The Worst Yes, you read that right. As parents, we gotta be ready for anything.
And while it’s ideal to reach our goals neatly… life can be messy. That ‘mess’ can make it hard to stay motivated when difficulty arises– especially when an unwanted interruption occurs in the middle of our groove.
You have a dinner party planned. You spent the weekend cleaning your house. You get home from work, and find your child drawing all over the walls with a permanent marker…
Now we’re frustrated, confused, stressed out, and losing focus on the goal.
So, how do you get back on track? If you’ve planned for imperfection, you’ll likely get resourceful to cover the “art”, give your child a piece of paper and washable markers, and make other arrangements to get dinner on the table in time.
We can’t predict everything that could possibly go wrong– but expecting setbacks and knowing your alternative options when disaster strikes makes all the difference in your motivation.
When you accept that life can (and will) interrupt your plans, you can keep the momentum going anyway AND approach your tasks without being deflated.
You’ll be more realistic about what you can achieve, learn how to make adjustments, and stay open to exploring other options.
Don’t be afraid to plan for failure. When we embrace challenges, our children learn to become adaptable, motivated, and focused on their goals too!
Flexibility is the path of least resistance.