Do they ever creep in?

Those moments where you look around at your life and think, “This is not where I thought I’d be.”

For most people, it’s easy to be excited when you’re first embarking on a new adventure. Same deal when you finally reach the goal you set for yourself.

But that long stretch in between? That’s where I see a lot of people struggle.

The excitement of the new has fallen away, but your goal still seems far off, and your motivation is wavering. Powerful old habits are shouting at you from inside your own head, and their “voice” is getting louder and louder.

On Code Red, getting through this period of time is what we call having faith in the middle.

This in the middle struggle doesn’t happen to everyone, but it happens a lot.

The good news is that clients who find that faith in the middle reach their goal weight and end up incredibly grateful they didn’t fall away. If they can do it, so can you!

Here are three things I encourage my clients to do when they need that dose of faith in the middle.

1. Set micro goals throughout your weight loss journey.

If you have 150 pounds to lose, thinking of it in one huge chunk may feel overwhelming.

Instead of focusing on that “grand total,” divide it up into smaller, more manageable chunks. It can be whatever feels good to you – 50 pounds, 25 pounds, even 10 pounds at a time!

Visual reminders are powerful, so create a visual way to track your weight loss in those manageable chunks.

For example, you can add a marble to a jar for every five pounds you lose.

Or, if you’ve divided your 150-pound weight loss up into 10 pound increments, put up 15 Post-It notes with the number 10 written on them, and remove one every time you lose 10 pounds.

There are countless ways you can implement this, so choose something that you’ll enjoy. There’s no “right” way – there’s only your way!

2. Reward yourself frequently.

You do not have to wait until you reach goal weight to celebrate! Each step you take towards your goal is amazing and worthy of excitement.

Make a list of things you absolutely LOVE. It can be a new piece of jewelry, a manicure, a massage, a fun trip, a concert, an electronic device, an awesome new pen, a night to yourself – as long as you love it (and it’s not food-related), it counts!

Jot down everything you can possibly think of, then assign one of these things you love as a reward each time you hit a micro-goal.

Rewards are powerful and motivating, and I’ve seen them keep people going who might otherwise have given up. So if there’s a part of you thinking, “10 pounds isn’t worth celebrating,” or anything else negative like that, shut it down and create your rewards system.

3. Do the grind.

Sticking to it every day, day after day, whether you feel like it or not, is what we call doing the grind.

A lot of people I talk to are under the impression you have to be some ultra-special genius to succeed.

But that hasn’t been my observation or experience.

My clients who succeed do so because they consistently show up and do the work.

In fact, that’s what people who succeed at anything do, whether it’s learning an instrument, building a business, learning a foreign language – it’s the same across the board.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a challenge, reading my book, or following your custom program – if you show up, every day, and follow it (especially on days you don’t feel like it), you can’t help but succeed.

A month, six months, a year from now, you could be someplace entirely new and amazing.

Faith in the middle is how you bridge that gap between the excitement of starting something new, and the excitement of reaching your goal.