None of these things guarantee that you'll reach your goals

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in “perpetual prep mode”?

It goes like this: You set a goal. Maybe it’s for meal planning and prepping consistently without feeling completely buried by it.

So of course the next step is obvious: You start planning.

You spend some time searching online, making a list (checking it twice), download a meal tracker you may or may not write on, and round it out by shopping for a new cute matching glass dishes with assorted color lids.

(All of those things are fun and great and in the right direction, by the way.)

But then the hidden problem becomes obvious: none of these things guarantee that you'll reach your goals.

While planning most certainly can help you feel productive…

...in reality, it all actually does absolutely NOTHING when it comes to actually moving you forward just because you did them.

And it can be even worse than that: making a plan keeps you safe, much safer than taking that first step, safer than taking chances, safer than the possibility of failure.

When it's just a plan, you can’t fail, no matter how thorough and confident you feel in that plan...there's safety in staying in that phase.

There are some people who spend so much time in the “planning” phase that they never end up taking any real action to speak of!

It sounds intuitive, but way more people get stuck in this flex space than you probably think.

Here's how that can look:

• Instead of spending 5 minutes stretching or walking, they spend an hour searching for the 'perfect' mobility app.

  
  

• Instead of throwing together a 10-minute breakfast, they scroll Pinterest for meal prep inspiration.

  
  

• Instead of doing a workout today in the leggings you already own, they will convince themselves they have to wait for new gear to arrive.

If this sounds all too close to home, I have a little homework for you:

JUST START.

Pick just one thing and literally just do it!

You can adjust later…you can tweak the steps...you can shift small things to make bigger impact later, but not until or unless you start somewhere!

Today, though, your ONLY assignment is to break the cycle of overthinking (or procrastination!) that you're clearly stuck inside.

“I wish I had waited longer to get started.”

...is a sentence no one says after improving their habits.

Consider this your mandate to get started.

Now, go join the BFF Challenge Squad Facebook group and post about your "one thing" habit shift that you've chosen today!