I mean, isn’t that the nature of goals to begin with? What’s missing between you and your goals might be walking the walk of your goals — not just talking the talk. Or rather, running the run of your goals. I’ll tell you what I mean.

Goals are easy to think of but harder to achieve, aren’t they?

I was reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by Mark Comer and he quotes American engineer W. Edwards Deming in saying that “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets”. When Deming said it, I think he was talking about business processes, engineering and manufacturing… but it also applies to us in general. The system of your day to day life is giving you exactly the results you have right now.

Comer gives the example of waking up every morning in downtown Portland to see his hyper-fit neighbors going out for a run. I don’t live in Portland, but we’ve all seen those people out exercising that look like they belong in a Nike commercial. At first glance, it might seem like something to aspire to… but we have to look deeper into the life system that’s producing that as a result.

Sure, in Comer’s case they’re out running first thing in the morning. But, what you maybe don’t see are the things they’re surrendering to be able to do it that well (and look that good, too!). Giving up late dinners, evenings watching Netflix or both for an early bedtime. Giving up that glass of wine or beer with friends, or dessert for another piece of celery or steamed broccoli. May be foregoing relaxation time to get out there and run consistently on a schedule! As Comer so eloquently puts it: “I want the life, but I’m not willing to adopt the lifestyle behind it”. Said another way, that’s not actually a goal he truly wants to achieve.

Walking the Walk of Your Goals

Putting Pen to Paper

It’s easy to put your goals on a sheet of paper. It’s easy to fantasize about all the things you want to change with your health, relationships or business. The real work is stepping back to understand the system or “lifestyle” that’s necessary to achieve that. What are the actions you need to take and just as important, what are the actions you need to surrender to actually make it happen? Only then can you start walking the walk that your goal requires of you to achieve the result.

I’d invite you to share in the #NoMatterWhat Community this week what you’re surrendering to in order to realize the goals you have on deck for yourselves. It’s the connective tissue between the results you have now and the results you want to get. When you understand what that goal actually requires of you, you can take more meaningful steps towards it.

As Comer notes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. But that’s exactly what many of us do. We’re motivated to hire a consultant, read a new book, listen to a podcast to create breakout results… but when the motivation fades, we go back to the same process that left us where we were to begin with. Instead, walk the walk. Run the run. And make sure your processes, systems and lifestyle are a match for what you want to achieve.

• Sterling Hawkins is the #NoMatterWhat Keynote Speaker and Workshop Leader.

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