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 ask yourself these tough but super important questions:
- Why do I do the things that I do?
- What are my weaknesses?
- What are my blind spots?
If you struggle with any of these questions, then the next step 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 with discerning good feedback, check out my last blog or podcast on “How to Measure the 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 that happen. It’s like saying you want to get stronger, but you don’t plan on going to 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 of the road, and/or you will start paying more attention when friends, family or coworkers who are asking for help.
It’s almost like when you decide you want to buy a certain kind of car. All of a sudden, everyone on the road has that car.
Before you can start acting different, you have to thinking different.
3) Practice being different, in a good way
This is where action comes in. Instead of recognizing the above opportunities, and just saying to yourself, “wow! I noticed 5 homeless people on the way to work! I must be such a different person”, you now go out of your way to help those people. Roll your window down and give the guy a dollar.
Or instead of telling your friend “I’m praying for you” when they tell you about their problems, you invite them to grab coffee and talk about it.
Or instead of handing the training manual to the new girl at work, you take the time to sit down with her and show her how to do the project she was struggling on.
Every time you take action on an opportunity to be different whether it’s being more kind, saving money, being healthier etc. – you begin changing your brain and ultimately, yourself. These steps can be applied to any area in life that you want to be different.
The toughest things about the above 3 points is that they are all routed in selflessness. You will have to commit to thinking less of yourself, or more about others, if you want to make positive changes in your life.
4) Get CLEAR accountability
Like any other goal, accountability is going to be what keeps you going when you are ready to give up. But just like your fitness goals, you can’t expect to get clear accountability from your friend that doesn’t prioritize fitness. Your buddy that doesn’t work out isn’t going to be the best person to motivate you to stay in the gym, just like your friend who is bad with money isn’t going to be the best person to count on to help you make better financial decisions.
Financial goals – go to your friend who is financially responsible.
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 with a bit of knowledge.
You get the picture…
5) Reward yourself
Once you run through the first 4 steps, you will notice that you are beginning to grow into a completely different person. All of these steps require commitment and discipline, which I think should always be rewarded.
You just have to use common sense when rewarding yourself, though. For example, if you lose a few pounds, don’t reward yourself at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Or if you save some money, don’t reward yourself by buying something you don’t need.
Only you will know the best way to reward yourself, but here are a couple examples of how I would do it:
- Lose 5 pounds: go out to dinner with a friend and have whatever you want
- Save $1000: buy yourself a gift for $50-100 that has a practical benefit
- Finish 1 book in 1 month: put the book down and binge on Netflix for a day
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?
