Beat The Odds

There are hundreds of strategies, tools, and techniques posted online for just one purpose. They are all about helping you keep your New Year’s Resolutions. But you don’t have time to use countless tools. This month you’ll sharpen your saw and use just three tools w/ a “reboot.” Ready for a big “WOW”?

Prior knowledge

The New Year is such a great time for a fresh start. As you may have guessed, many people fail to embed and succeed with their New Year’s resolutions. I have read estimates that 23% of people fail in week one, 43% quit by the end of the month, and only 9% finish the year with new habits intact.

But people have always had chances for a fresh start. They might include starting a fresh relationship, starting a new job, having a birth in the family, moving to a new city/country, a marriage, a promotion, healing from sickness/disease, birthdays, completing a divorce, anniversaries, and changing diet or wardrobe.

Let’s name all these milestones above as simple opportunities for a “reboot.” You can use a reboot (fresh start, reset, or restart) for any occasion, any time. It can be a milestone starting point for any change in your life. I use reboots 3 to 4 times a year. Why? I have the mindset, systems, and tools to make them work, do you?

Remember that you exist in multiple areas. These include Systemic (workplace, shopping, travel), Social (friends, partner, family, social media), and Personal (daily eating, work, play, and sleeping habits). If you are trying to eat better at home (personal), but your best friends (social) eat poorly, and your school serves unhealthy food (systemic), the odds are stacked against you with your new habit.

I’m NOT saying you drop your friends, move, and change your job. I am simply describing three of your domains that can be a risk for your reboot. Now, we could rearrange those three items multiple ways, but the bottom line is that your chance for a successful reboot is greatest when you have positively activated ALL three domains. Get on board and be sure to take action in all these areas of your life.

Set yourself up to accomplish a win, even if it is not perfect. Here is how to use my suggestion of “Plan A, B, and C.” This strategy is crucial because, in your worst case, you’ll still make progress. Here’s how the ABC works for me. “If I forget to do ____ (name the new habit such as “no sugar” every day), I can always do a slightly less aggressive version of the same habit: maybe I give myself just one sweet food item a day. And when traveling, I can modify what I do even more drastically.

List your goal, then keep in mind the A, B, and C versions, as needed:

A =      Most ambitious, perfect case
B =     Middle ground, a single glitch
C =      Minimum level, anything above zero counts

This way, even doing your goal with a C twice a week means you’re still making progress. Don’t allow yourself to give up. Your persistence will help you reach your goal (perhaps a bit later).

Practical Applications

Personal: As an example of my personal domain, I write out the three biggest things I want to accomplish the next day before I go to bed at night. I keep these “big 3” things on an index card (you can use a colorful, big post-it). My rule is to put the index card or sticky note in an easy-to-see place and include my new habit each day. Once my new habit is well in place, I stop putting the reminder or prompt down on paper.

First thing in the morning, I read my daily affirmations. The quick 30-second read inspires me to stay on course for my long-term goals. Here is a sample of my core statements:

“I am healthy, giving, and thriving. I hug and kiss my wife every day. I am a kind, loving, and forgiving husband. I am a helping person and make it a habit to support my spouse and friends daily. I commit to daily yoga, 30 pool laps w/ V02 max, and weight training. I take cold showers for at least 60 seconds and eat 80+ grams of protein daily. I write daily with clarity and speed. I am completing my new habit every day. I refuse to complain; life is good.”

Social: Encourage your friends to all share goals and all support each other by asking once a week, “How many times this week did you do your new habit? What might you need to change? Is your goal still important to you, and in what ways?” Post your new habit on social media and ask friends and readers to give you cheers and support for just 60 days. That should be long enough to instill the habit as permanent.

Systemic: Ask leadership to recognize all staff making positive changes in their lives. Have leadership do a daily shout-out (nominated by a friend). Infuse your colleagues and staff with hope. Share the good things that will happen when they tackle and do their habits daily. When you’re hopeful, your colleagues will be hopeful. Post notes and prompts. Even a banner can be put on your door at work as a cue to take action.

READY FOR RESULTS? That’s it for this month; it’s closing time. Now for my biggest fear. Maybe you still use the ‘time bias.’ Many will read this newsletter and then respond, “I’m just too busy; I’ve got no time for those changes to help me and my students soar like eagles.” If you feel that way, I am sorry; I have failed you. I failed to activate your choice of playing the ‘long game.’ Biases are shortcuts to save time and are often about the ‘short game.’

You see, life goes by so fast that many would say, “Live in the moment, smell the roses; life is short.” And they’re right. Life is about savoring the smell of the flowers, eating a great meal, and enjoying hugs from friends and family.

But most everything worth having over a lifetime also requires the ‘the long game.’ At school, this includes building relationships and fostering cognitive capacity. At home, the list consists of maintaining relationships, appreciating the daily blessings, and saving for retirement. Choose right now; what have you decided on – long or short? Then begin, right now…

Eric Jensen
CEO, Jensen Learning