Katie Piper on overcoming obstacles to achieving our goals

With Christmas a distant memory, we’re now fast approaching spring. It feels good to have become reacquainted with wellbeing boosters such as exercise, and it’s becoming slightly less challenging with each workout. But getting back to positive behaviours can be hard – even a few months on. If you’ve made resolutions but are barely sticking to them, I hear you.

Doing things we don’t necessarily want to do, because they’re challenging or hard, can feel near impossible. But you can move past it. I recently saw a video of Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan marathon runner, speaking about the significance of discipline. He believes that unless you develop the mental strength to overcome your moods, you’re beholden to them. But if you can move past them, using the power of your mind, you will become free.

This struck a chord with me, because I am a firm believer in positive affirmations. If you practice thinking positively about the world, there’s less space for negativity. If you are faced with a task you don’t want to do, pushing through the setbacks will be a challenge. But the more you do it, the easier it will become.

So try. Try to think past the feelings of dread and overcome the mental hurdles. Continue to make this the year you set yourself free.