Standard Setting - The Pursuit #2
Setting goals vs setting standards
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As December begins, I start planning the significant goals I have for the new year. I get excited for the fresh start and envision the changes I could make.
The problem is that goal setting isn’t enough.
Goal setting is what fills every gym in the first few weeks of January, only to return to normal by February.
Goal Setting inspires every sales rep to envision exceeding their quota for the upcoming year. However, by the second quarter, half of them find themselves updating their LinkedIn profiles in search of a new job with no vision for success.
Recently, I found one of my workout logs from 2019.
Goal setting is what caused my workouts for each of the last four years to look basically the exact same.
No improvement or progress for four years.
Same mile times, same distances, same weights and lifts week after week.
Consistency has offered stability but it has also led to stagnation.
Entering 2024, I've learned that for real change, goal setting needs to transform into setting new standards.
Here are a few of my new standards:
Pay up - in poker you can’t win unless you choose to put the money in. Similarly I won’t let frugality cause me to sit on the sidelines in the areas I want to improve.
Find the mentor - in our connected world it has never been easier to get an outside perspective, disrupt routines, have accountability and tap into knowledge from experts.
Time - Schedule and increase my daily commitment to what really matters.
Relationships - Share my experience bring others along for the pursuit.
So, how will I apply these standards to those stagnant workouts I've had for years?
Pay up - I built the home gym and now I am going to pay for the coach to program my workouts, review with me weekly and follow his plan.
The mentor - It turns out one of the fittest men on the planet Ryan Kent lives near me is an expert at programing for hybrid fitness improvement. He is hired and I pre-paid the first 3 months of 2024.
Time - I have worked out 4+ days a week for as long as I can remember. Sure, half that time was spent checking email and scrolling on my phone. Perhaps that's why little progress has been made! Now I will be following Ryan’s plan 6 days a week. So far his plan doesn’t include having me checking my email.
Relationships - My wife and kids are a part of these new standards and supporting me. I am also looking for others to join in on this pursuit. If you are looking to set new standards in your fitness and want to test yourself with a HYROX race in November of 2024 let me know.
I am asking myself in December how can I apply new standards to how I show up as a husband, father, son, friend and in my career?
I would love to hear if you have standards that you are going to apply to 2024 and what you are going to accomplish, send me a reply!
Top Finds From November
Quote worth pondering - "The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours.” Amos Tversky
Company I am excited about - Boundless.life - Boundless Life provides an amazing experience for families to be able to have community, education while traveling internationally. I have started doing consulting work for Boundless and my family is joining the program in Portugal July 2024. Check them out and let me know if you want more info!
Article worth reading -
wrote my favorite book I have read this year, Wanting. I now read everything he writes. This article does an incredible job of framing out the problem with the current education system and presents solutions of how we can help students increase agency and wonder through entrepreneurship. This will definitely impact how I guide the education opportunities for my boys.Have a great end to 2023!