The truth is.. 2020 won’t look any different if you aren’t any different.
We all set these goals to accomplish new things (financially, vocationally, relationally, physically, socially, etc.) but somehow, we expect to get new results with the same habits. Being the same person.
It’s weird, too, because admitting you need to change is like admitting that there’s something wrong with you…
But that’s not necessarily the case. It’s not about looking at yourself as if you are “good” or “bad”, or “failing or “winning”.
Either way, parts of us are always changing. When you purposely make those changes, it’s called growth, and that’s just a part of taking control of your life.
I’m passionate about consistent growth, so I taught on this to our Superfit Foods team last week, and I wanted to share this with you.
Here are the 5 Ways to Get Better Results this year:
1) Pay attention to yourself (increased self-awareness)
Take some time while reading this, or shortly after, and askyourself these tough but super important questions:
If you struggle with any of these questions, then the nextstep is to ask the people that are closest to you. What do they have to say?
Side note on that last comment: If you struggle withdiscerning good feedback, check out my last blog or podcast on “How to Measurethe Value of Criticism”.
2) Look for opportunities to get your reps in (increased situational awareness)
Once you make a cognitive commitment to being “different”,you will have to make a conscious effort to look for opportunities to make thathappen. It’s like saying you want to get stronger, but you don’t plan on goingto the gym… it’s a recipe for failure.
So let’s say for example that you want to be more generous:You would start paying more attention to the homeless people on the corner ofthe road, and/or you will start paying more attention when friends, family orcoworkers who are asking for help.
It’s almost like when you decide you want to buy a certainkind of car. All of a sudden, everyone on the road has that car.
Before you can start acting different, you have to thinkingdifferent.
3) Practice being different, in a good way
This is where action comes in. Instead ofrecognizing the above opportunities, and just saying to yourself, “wow! Inoticed 5 homeless people on the way to work! I must be such a differentperson”, you now go out of your way to help those people. Roll your window downand give the guy a dollar.
Or instead of telling your friend “I’m praying for you” whenthey tell you about their problems, you invite them to grab coffee and talkabout it.
Or instead of handing the training manual to the new girl atwork, you take the time to sit down with her and show her how to do the projectshe was struggling on.
Every time you take action on an opportunity to be differentwhether it’s being more kind, saving money, being healthier etc. - you beginchanging your brain and ultimately, yourself. These steps can be applied to anyarea in life that you want to be different.
The toughest things about the above 3 points is that they areall routed in selflessness. You will have to commit to thinking less ofyourself, or more about others, if you want to make positive changes in yourlife.
4) Get CLEAR accountability
Like any other goal, accountability is going to be what keepsyou going when you are ready to give up. But just like your fitness goals, youcan’t expect to get clear accountability from your friend that doesn’tprioritize fitness. Your buddy that doesn’t work out isn’t going to be the bestperson to motivate you to stay in the gym, just like your friend who is bad withmoney isn’t going to be the best person to count on to help you make betterfinancial decisions.
Financial goals – go to your friend who is financiallyresponsible.
Relational goals – confide in your friend who has a healthy,stable and long-term relationship.
Fitness goals – tell your friend who is a fitness junkie witha bit of knowledge.
You get the picture…
5) Reward yourself
Once you run through the first 4 steps, you will notice thatyou are beginning to grow into a completely different person. All of thesesteps require commitment and discipline, which I think should always berewarded.
You just have to use common sense when rewarding yourself,though. For example, if you lose a few pounds, don’t reward yourself at anall-you-can-eat buffet. Or if you save some money, don’t reward yourself bybuying something you don’t need.
Only you will know the best way to reward yourself, but hereare a couple examples of how I would do it:
I write this stuff as much for me, if not more, than for anyone else. So don’t misinterpret what I put out there as if I’ve got it figured out. Growth is a journey that will look different every day, but I hope these steps help make those days a bit easier.
What’re your thoughts on this?
