Goals are for Dreamers. Systems are for Winners.
I know, harsh. (But you should hear how Scott Adams says this…. MUCH harsher!)— Also who the heck is Scott Adams?!
But hear me out and him because he put into words things that I had thought and had started to implement without thinking. (Did I lose you?)
Every year, so many people set these goals and resolutions only to miss the mark or fail to reach them. It might take a few days, a few weeks, or even a month or two, but the majority of people will backslide and stop going after the goal they set. Or maybe they achieve it, and then what? They flounder and start to gain back (weight/bad attitude/whatever).
Why?
Because they don’t have a system in place to make these goals and resolutions sustainable.
When you have a system in place, it will allow for the continuation of whatever you’re trying to achieve. Also, if you do achieve the goal you set for yourself, now you have a way to continue the success instead of feeling lost as to what you do next.
But there’s also one more thing you should consider along with creating a system.
Be REALISTIC.
If your goal is to lose 100lbs in one month by just eating better and exercising, you’re not going to hit it. It’s not realistic.
However, 100lbs over the course of a year to 18 months? Totally doable with the proper motivation, plan, and accountability. Aka baby steps. Take one week at a time.
Don’t take it from me, though.
Scott Adams, author of “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big,” said in his book, “I learned by observation that people who pursued extraordinarily unlikely goals were overly optimistic at best, delusional at worst, and just plain stupid most of the time.”
Again, who the heck is Scott Adams? Creator of the cartoon comic Dilbert. “A CARTOON COMIC?! Why should I believe what he says?!” Well, for one he’s in the 25 most successful cartoon comics of all time and has made a ton of money. Like a ton. And he’s a great thinker. So yeah, check him out.
He went on to say that the smart people of his town “made practical plans and stuck to them.”
So what would be seen as a goal versus a system in this instance? Easy.
Losing the weight is the goal, but eating right and/or working out is the system.Whatever your plan is for the new year, focus on creating a system.
For me, my goal is to get in better shape. My system is working out. I already have the food thing down, but I really don’t like to exercise.
Here’s my plan:
Put the workout in my calendar.
Move it around if I can’t do it on the original date BUT I DON’T DELETE IT.
Get it done during that week.
Basically, if I schedule a workout next week on Monday, but feel like sleeping in, I’ll move it to later in the day or week. As long as I complete that one workout during the week, I’m good and on track.
I’ve had memberships to gyms, all the best intentions to go to all different types of classes, but I never really reached my goal.
Was it all because I didn’t have a system I could follow? Mostly. Was it also because I didn't have the proper motivation? Maybe.
So the system that I plan on implementing this New Year 2020, is to wake up 15 mins earlier for a couple of weeks. This will give me some time to read in the morning before starting my day. Then I will change it to another 15 mins earlier. What am I trying to achieve? Well, I would like to get my workout in by 6:30am. Because my system so far has to been to get it done at some point during the week (and that’s fine too) but I would like to start my day with my workout and not have to think about it.
Change is hard, I get it. But it doesn’t have to be impossible.
So, what am I trying to say?
Simple.
Goals are bullsh*t and systems rule.
[1] Scott Adams “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.”