Do you come to the end of the week over and over and become frustrated with your lack of progress on a significant goal you would like to accomplish? Are you telling yourself that you just need a better system and that will make all the difference?
I have had a lot of people ask me what system works the best. I always give the same answer.
There is no perfect system and the best system is really not a system. The best “system” is a mindset built on a foundation of good habits with a clear picture of what you want to accomplish.
Think about it. There are dozens of different systems out there all proclaiming to essentially do the same thing. Why are there so many? Because none of them really work long-term unless your approach is solid. If you just keep trying different systems after the one you are using stops working for you, what are you really accomplishing? You are just in a cycle of trying the new shiny thing hoping for a new outcome. It won’t be different unless you try a different approach.
So, what is the right approach? First, let’s start with the fact that there is no shortcut. It will take work to build new habits and routines that put you on the path to accomplishing your goals. If you are not willing to do the work, or the timing just isn’t right, wait until you are ready.
- What is your aim? If you are willing and ready to do the work, first things first. What do you want? What is important to you? This part takes reflection and deep thinking about who you want to be. It may take a little time to figure this out. That is ok. Give yourself permission to take time figuring this out. Also, this will likely change over time. What is important today may be different a year from now.
- Get your mind right. Once you have your goals figured out it is time to think about your mindset towards approaching your goals. If you have thought about them enough, your goals are big and probably a little scary. Which means it is going to take some time to accomplish them and there are likely going to be obstacles to overcome. So, you need to prepare yourself for this. If you start the process thinking struggling is a bad sign, you will be easily derailed. If you know going in it is going to be hard and you believe in your ability to learn and grow, you are more likely to stick to it. Bottomline, a growth mindset is critical.
- Step by step. Once you decide what you want to accomplish and believe in your ability to overcome the struggles, you’re almost there. The final piece of the puzzle is to build the habits you need to reach the end goal. In this, the most important thing is to do it one step at a time. If your goal is to be able to run a marathon and the longest run you have ever done is around 5 miles, for the love of God don’t go out and try and run a full marathon all at once. That will end badly. You have to do it little by little. I know, that’s frustrating. For some of us, this is the hardest part. We just want to do the thing. If you can easily complete your goal by tomorrow, it’s not big enough. Significant goals can only be achieved one step at a time. You have to make a plan of some type and break it down in chunks. Check-in with yourself daily, did your focus for the day get you closer or further from your goal? If you don’t reflect in this way you can get way off track pretty fast.
Where most people get hung up in accomplishing anything big is execution. It’s easy to get lost in the logistics of overcoming obstacles along the way that can distract from the final goal. If you are someone that is blessed with the discipline to hold yourself accountable, great. Make your plan and go get that thing done. However, if follow through is not your strong suit, embrace that and ask for help. Have someone you know well and trust hold you accountable. Or, hire a coach to help you out. That is why I’m here. As a coach, my job is to help you achieve your goals.
One Small Step
If you are ready to work on your big goals do some reflection on the execution piece. Self-awareness is important here. Are you someone that has the discipline and knowledge to do this on your own? Or, do you need help? There is no wrong answer and not accepting reality is not going to help you.
Good luck and let me know if I can help you in any way.