How committed are you?

Since 2018, my personal and professional life is committed to deliberate goal-setting. Before that, I would create a detailed matrix that quickly overwhelmed me due to its complexity.

The overwhelm became apparent at the end of every year. About half of my intended activities were not done! In trying to look smart, I had over-complicated things for myself. 

That is why I decided to shift to a one-page goal template in 2018. I narrowed my goals down to four critical categories: Spiritual, Work, Health and Community. In total, I am committed to a maximum of twenty goals for the year.

This improved my goal achievement, but not significantly. Something was still off. My engine was running with the occasional misfire. It was like eating a delicious-looking meal that lacked any seasoning. What was happening? Where did the problem lie?

A canoe does not know who the leader is; when it turns over, everyone gets wet.” ~Malagasy proverb

No matter how hard I tried, those two questions stuck in my mind like white on rice. They rang like clashing cymbals during the day and flashing light in my dreams at night. 

In the second week of January 2023, I decided something had to shift. One of my health goals is to cycle at least 10,000 kilometres in 2023. It was then that a crazy thought crossed my mind… “Twenty one days of fifty kilometres every day”. That narrow focus ignited an unexpected outcome!

At the end of January 2023, not only did I meet my 800 kilometre goal, but I hit a total of 1,264 kilometres! This was exhilarating! It was a feat I had never achieved in any one month in over 6 years of cycling! February 2023 didn’t disappoint either with 1,156 kilometres in the bag.

This crazy experiment looks promising. What is even more fascinating was the trickle-down effect on my other goals. For example, despite dedicating about 2 hours to cycling everyday, my client coaching hours were not affected at all. In fact, I had more focused and increased contact hours with my clients.

It felt like I had unwrapped a magical gift before the celebration day. As I reflected on this during one of my February rides, it occurred to me that being committed is a result of two key factors… choice and consistency.

Committed = Choice + Consistency

We make choices every single day, both positive and negative. However, the impact of those choices is only activated when we consistently – and deliberately – activate them.

In a conversation with my friend, he mentioned that I must have a cheat code of some sort. On reflection, these are the lessons from my crazy cycling experiment:

1. Set clear but ambitious goals.
2. Consistently execute and measure action towards each goal.
3. Stay ruthlessly accountable for action taken (or not taken).
4. Courageously adjust to get back on track when action lags behind.

There is no silver bullet. When a goal is ambitious enough, and you are committed and accountable enough, it opens up amazing mental resilience. There are days I wake up lethargic and don’ want to get on my bicycle. That is when the mind takes over and I am off.

However, the consistent choice to listen to lethargy and laziness leads to committed failure of my goals.  It is a reminder that brings the earlier proverb to life. Execution brings your choices to life. Consistency just amplifies the quality of the outcome.

Now, every day-break has become an exciting prospect of what lies ahead. All because of a simple formula that brings exceptional results.

But simple doesn’t translate as easy. There is still a lot of work to be done. Only that now I am more efficient – producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy.

Q: What choices are you consistently committed to? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

[Photo by VietNam Beautiful on Unsplash]