Getting to the finish line

It is about making conscious choices in everyday life.
Many sport psychologists work with different tools to help athletes strengthen their mental resilience, to be mentally equipped to achieve their goals. Many of these tools are also applicable in other contexts. I would like to present the "mental strength compass", which is one of the tools often used by sport psychologists, but which can also be applied to workplace health.

You can think of the strengths compass as a long straight road that leads you to your goals. The goal could be to adopt healthier habits during working hours. To develop healthier habits, you can, for example, participate in the health services offered by your workplace. This could be talking to a health consultant, using the gym, doing small exercises during the day that you have been shown by the physiotherapist, or simply taking the stairs instead of the elevator. In the short term, the consequence is that you have to try something new, which for some people can be daunting. In the long term, you will be rewarded by reaching your goal and doing something good for your health.
However, on the way to reaching your goals, there are a lot of exits you can take. It's tempting to take one of the exits, as you'll encounter them many times along the way.
The exits represent all the things that prevent you or detour you from reaching your goal. Often it is old habits that cause you to take a detour. It could be laziness or the discomfort of trying something new that stops you from joining the exercise class you had planned to attend. Or doubts about the benefits of taking the stairs. In the short term, you will be rewarded by not having to leave your comfort zone. In the long term, however, there are consequences for your health, as the exit does not lead to the goal of healthier habits.
However, it is important to keep in mind that sticking to the road is the fastest way to reach your destination. However, on the way to the goal, you will encounter many exits and no matter how many detours you take, you can always find your way back to the road that leads to the goal.