Part 5: Your one thing for 2022 – Don’t get stuck in the valley

As you know, we’ve been talking about this question:

“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?”

How are you tracking, are you still motivated? Are you still convinced that it matters? Are you maintaining your focus and putting in the effort every day?

If you’ve ever spent time in a gym, you know that Valentine’s Day is a watershed moment for many trying to establish a healthier way of life. Early in January the gym is usually packed with newcomers, all dressed up in their colour-coordinated outfits, matching new training shoes and I can do it, this is my year, attitudes. As the weeks progress you see them less and less, while after 14 February you hardly ever see them ever again (until next year, with new outfits). A very small minority stick around, while most are the regulars.

We’re not sharing this observation to break your spirit. On the contrary, it shows you that waning motivation is normal and to be expected. We start the year off all fired up, but then start losing momentum when the results don’t come quick enough. Your taking a trip through the Valley of Disappointment as James Clear calls it. Your job is to not get stuck there:

Since we live in an instant world, we expect results to be instantaneous. Unfortunately results are never linear and don’t follow immediately. We need to stick with it.

If you are experiencing doubts about going after your one thing, here are three strategies you can try to maintain your motivation:

1. Track your progress: You can use a calendar, a journal, a habit tracking app, whatever you prefer. Simply make sure you put a daily tick next to whatever it is you are working on. Your aim should be to build your streak as long as possible. And when you miss a day, make sure you don’t miss two in a row. Just start again. This serves as a visual reminder that you are putting in the effort, before the results start to show. Trust the process. The results will follow.
2. Join a club or group: Whatever it is you are trying to work at, you’re chances of success is greatly enhanced when you surround yourself with people that are already good at what you are trying to achieve. Starting something from scratch, on your own, can feel impossible. But if you spend time with people that have made some progress in the direction you want to go, this will serve as confirmation that progress and results are possible. The sense of belonging is also very important in this time of isolation and zoom meetings.
3. Tell somebody about your plan: It’s easy to break commitments we make only to ourselves. We are really good at rationalizing why the direction we want to go in is not that important once the going gets tough. But it is more difficult to stop moving when we’ve made our intentions public. Accountability is a good thing, use it to your advantage.

Don’t go at it alone. Make use of external motivators or systems of accountability to maintain your momentum until the results start to show. You won’t be sorry that you didn’t get stuck in the valley of disappointment.

Next week we will wrap up this series, by talking about why you shouldn’t underestimate the impact of one thing.

In the meantime, 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.