“Most people don’t change”.
When I first heard this, I was in my twenties. It was significant because at the time there were things emerging in my thinking that I did not like, and I wanted to change. The thought that I may not be able to began to stir a strong resistance to the statement.
The need to change and the capacity to change are two different things. As Dr Joe Dispensa states,
“You need to think about what you think about.”
This statement is relevant when it comes to our approach to completing goals. We may set a goal to improve our health by joining a gym on a summer’s morning as we determine to visit the local sports store for a cool new workout kit with some nice running shoes. We are enthusiastic and committed. We then attend our new gym and sign up. We picture our new fitness and perhaps our new body with less pounds. All good so far. Often what is not in our vision of the goal is the morning it is cold and raining. We often do not picture dragging ourselves out of the bed at our new earlier wake up time and then driving through the rain to find a park, followed by the walk from the car in the rain to the gym class.
We were not thinking about all the aspects of the required achievement of the goal. We had not considered all the discomfort and sacrifice. We had not thought about the need for persistence with the associated effort because it was a warm sunny morning when we set our goal.
Some years ago, I completed my Executive MBA. Many other people have done this so in the scheme of things why would I mention this? Because it was for me very hard work for two years. It was a significant personal milestone. Not for the qualification but for the process. I remember thinking, “how am I going to complete my full time job as a General Manager and complete all the required reading, writing and study involved in the process?” I thought about how much television I watched and decided two things. I would study every night from 7:00 pm to midnight except for friday nights, and I would not watch TV. Two years later I graduated.
Tommy Baker has written a book called ‘The 1% rule.’ With the by-line, ‘ How to Fall in Love With The Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams’
“Our current system isn’t working. Specifically, our system for setting goals and staying motivated enough to not only see them to completion, but consistently break through new levels of achievement and fulfilment. Over the course of the last half decade, I’ve immersed myself in answering a few basic questions and have gone down the rabbit hole to explore this. Nothing separates you and me from those whom we admire and look up to at the top of the mountain—we’re one and the same. The only difference is the way they define and perceive success, their level of clarity around goal setting, and their associated behaviours and habits.” – Tommy Baker
Here are the 5 steps
1. Fall in love with the process. – When author John Acuff was doing research for his two books Start and Finish which would go on to be New York Times bestsellers, he analysed what the most difficult day is for people who set goals. He said:
“Simple – Day two is the hardest day and where we see the most drop off”. Perhaps that reflects the fact society, media, and the general business landscape is obsessed with putting together highlight reels. That’s okay in and of itself, but to excel with the 1% Rule you must fall in love with the process. You must be obsessed with the fact you are changing and getting better every day.”
2. Do it every single day. – To make the 1% Rule work, you must apply it every day – no matter what. If you’re making 1% progress, you’ll be able to tap into the compounding effect of the rule. The amount of progress you make in any one day is less important than the fact you’re making progress and taking a small step in the right direction. That’s where the magic is.
“At first glance, committing to doing something every single day can seem daunting, but it’s the opposite. It takes the pressure off and allows us to flex the muscle of consistency. After years of watching people set outcomes, I’ve noticed the number one thing standing in their way wasn’t the know-how, the plan, a strategy, information, the economy, their environment, relationships, or anything else external. It was themselves. They would get in their own way.” – Tommy Baker
3. Celebrate your commitment. – A critical aspect of the 1% Rule is you must celebrate your wins, even the tiny ones which seem insignificant. Acknowledging your micro-wins is vital because it generates clarity and momentum. Or put another way, celebrating your wins is jet fuel to keep going. It also enables you to track how far you’ve come.
“Every single day, we celebrate a win we experienced as we use the 1% Rule. These micro-wins create the momentum and clarity required to get us to the more expansive wins and outcomes we’re chasing. They force us to open our awareness, and we feed our inner hero instead of our inner critic. They remind us to not judge ourselves and instead appreciate our growth.” – Tommy Baker
4. Track your metrics and data – Tracking your metrics, and using data to your advantage, will allow you to clearly see the inputs and outputs of your work. Until you do this tracking, you won’t really know whether you need to pivot and head off in a better direction. Accurate data prevents your emotions and fears from taking over.
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker
A great example of this is Weight Watchers, one of the world’s most successful weight loss programs. Weight Watchers focuses on metrics, and data, combined with extreme accountability, and it clearly works. The company doesn’t have millions of active subscribers by accident.
5. Master your craft – The last part of the code is that the 1% Rule requires that you commit to mastering your craft. The reality is in today’s instant-gratification world, your pursuit of mastery will put you head-and-shoulders above all your competitors.
“While this may sound daunting, it’s not. It allows for the patience to develop the crucial components it takes to achieve success in life. Mastering your craft is a long-term commitment and caters to a mindset of grounded humility where you become obsessed with micro-improvements. Regardless of what your craft may be, the mindset and components of mastery are proven to transcend skill and scope. While the 1% Rule will be used for every part of your life, your ability to focus on a specific craft will separate you from your competition.” – Tommy Baker
The 1% Rule intentionally breaks a year down into four 90-day cycles. That creates maximum urgency, but also keeps you focused on next steps. If you can create 90 days of intentional advances, and then re-set your goals and repeat that cycle, you’ll be doing well. Again, remember that life is not linear. There will be seasons where you move ahead in leaps and bounds, and other seasons where you feel bogged down and stuck. That’s okay, and those ebbs and flows are to be expected.
The key, however, is to make a start and then commit to doing 1% better every day. Make a start now. You’ll be amazed how different life can look in just a month or two