Research says that within 2 weeks, most New Year's Resolutions are already broken or forgotten. And by most, I mean nearly all. How are you doing with yours so far?
At Butler Street, we help companies and their people grow. This means that the companies and the people we work with must create commitments and resolve to learn more, and to do more of the right things... consistently.
There is no silver bullet to achieve your resolutions or growth goals, but there are some proven strategies that will help you live the Four Cornerstones of Success and achieve the growth you desire. Here are five of them:
1. If your "Why" is Strong Enough, You'll Find a Way
When setting goals or resolutions, most of us initially know why they are setting that goal. And the "Why" is always an improvement over where you are today. Why lose weight? To be healthier and live stronger and longer. Why increase sales? To impact more lives in a positive way; yours, your family's, your employee's. But we tend to let the "Why" take a backseat in our minds and start telling ourselves that the way we are today is good enough. Improvement isn't inevitable. Change is. Know your "Why" and affirm it daily so that when challenges, inconvenience and discomfort appear, you keep moving forward to the change you desire.
Action: Keep the "Why" alive. Write it down. Post it on your wall. Reaffirm the "Why" - every day. Make your "Why" stronger than your "Why Not"
2. Find an Accountability Partner
Accountable. Commitment. Success. Going public with your personal or professional growth goals create accountability, commitment and ultimately success. Sometimes you need that extra push and you also need someone to share your progress with who will get as excited as you are. For your professional goals, choose an accountability partner who understands where you are today and where you want to be. Someone who understands the level of effort required to make the necessary changes and someone who will pay close attention and has the nerve to say: “That is not the behavior that will you meet your goals, what adjustments do you plan to make?” when you slip.
Action: Find an accountability partner who believes this mantra. “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”
3. Progressive Improvement is better than Postponed Perfection
Every goal ever achieved had a start. The start was not the end, and the start was not perfect, but there was a start. We’ve all heard the phrase “analysis, paralysis” or “I am a perfectionist” or “I need a little more information before I can…”. These are all about postponing.
Delaying action while over-analyzing information clearly doesn’t help when it comes to getting things done. In fact, a LexisNexis survey showed that, on average, employees spend more than half their workdays receiving and managing information rather than using it to do their jobs!
Spend more time doing, practicing, and making the necessary adjustments than you do thinking, analyzing or just plain procrastinating.
Action: Adopt the phrase from Nike and “Just Do It!”
4. Little Things Turn into Big Things
Want to run your first marathon? Start with running a mile more than you regularly run and do it at a comfortable pace. And be pleased with yourself. Maybe it’s only a mile. If you add one mile every other week, by the end of the year, you will be running 26 miles – the length of a marathon minus the point 2. Oh and before you know it, running is a habit!
Want to be a sales manager in a year? Learn one thing each day that a sales manager would do and do it if you are able. For example: Coach a peer. Read a leadership blog. Analyze your pipeline like you own the company.
Action: Put this Tom Peters quote on a continuous loop in your head and make it a habit. “Excellence is the next 5 minutes…forget the long-term. Make the next 5 minutes rock!"
5. Go Through the Motions
Sometimes you just won’t feel like doing the things that are required to meet your goals. We all experience that. If you are not feeling it, just go through the motions says Navy Seal Team Officer, Jocko Williams in his book "Discipline Equals Freedom". Get up and give it attention anyway. Persevere because it matters to you. Because your “Why” is stronger than your “Why Not”
Or as Mel Robbins has found, count down from 5 when your brain starts making excuses. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – get started.
Action: If you think you need a break, then procrastinate... put your break off until tomorrow. 5,4,3,2,1
At Butler Street, we help companies and their people grow. Growth is an improved state. Improvement isn’t inevitable. We provide a system of reinforcing activities that begin with the Four Cornerstones of Success: Attitude, Personal Accountability, Perseverance and Habit to help you grow! Contact us today! We'd love to hear what strategies you use to achieve your goals!