Part 3: Your one thing for 2022 – There is no silver bullet to success

Thank you for joining us again this week. As you know by now, the question we are starting the year off with is this:

“What one thing, if you were to gain a handle on it, would make a meaningful difference to the quality of your life at the end of 2022?”

That’s right, we are picking only one thing to focus on. The reason? Change is hard. It takes effort. Distractions are many. And motivation comes and goes.

If you are like us, you’ve tried making the change before and things didn’t exactly go according to plan. Because the result didn’t come soon enough, you came to the conclusion that what you’re trying to achieve is near impossible and gave up.

No judgement here! We have all done this.

Last week we spoke about thinking about the person you want to be, picking words that align to that image and using these as reminders as how you choose to act. It is important to select you goals in a way that aligns to this image of the person you want to be known as, since we behave according to the view we have of ourselves.

This week, there are two important points to keep in mind:

1. Don’t fixate on the goal. Rather pay attention to your system.

This might seem like commonsense, but aiming at a goal and not changing anything in your environment, approach, schedule or daily routine will not move you closer to that goal. It’s the old story of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. You need to change something, anything, even if it feels like a small thing. But make sure it has a logical, realistic connection to the goal you want to achieve.

2. Don’t expect quick progress.

This is probably the biggest reason we don’t stick with things. We live in an instant world and have become used to the notion that everything needs to happen instantly. The simple truth is this: learning, change, progress and adaptation does not happen over night. Since we don’t see immediate results we falsely infer that:

1. Small, wise decisions don’t matter that much.

2. Small, unwise decisions don’t matter that much.

Both of these conclusions are wrong. Our lives are the sum total of the small decisions we make every day. One salad won’t make you healthy in the same way that one happy meal won’t make you ill. But stay on the same track for long enough and it most definitely will take you in that direction. Liz and Molly see it like this:

In summary, think about the person you want to be, pick a goal that aligns with this, make a change that will move you closer to this goal, then stick with it. When it comes to habits, consistency is you biggest ally. Habits compound.

Next week we will talk about setting up your environment to make you more likely to succeed.

Thank you for reading and ending your week on a high.

At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.