Reading time: 6 minutes
Hey legend,
It’s no secret that I’m a massive fanboy of James Clear, best-selling author of Atomic Habits.
Not only has my life changed in an immeasurable way since reading it, but I regularly recommend the book (or cite him in my content) for anyone struggling to make sustainable and meaningful progress towards succeeding towards their goals.
Well, turns out that I’m not alone 😅
Systems > Motivation
“You do not rise to the level of your goals.
– James Clear
You fall to the level of your systems”
Years ago, I relied solely on motivation to rise to my goals. But time and time again, I fell short and struggled to build consistent momentum towards anything. Often, I’d have short, intense bursts of activity that were driven by impermanent prompts or situations such as:
- “New year, new me” vibes
- Watching motivational content or
- Feeling “pumped up” talking about my goals
But as soon as any of these disappeared, so did the actions (habits) that they drove.
Motivation towards your goals comes and goes.
But systems don’t.
Relying on motivation wasn’t a system. It was an unreliable crutch – what I needed was a system for success.
Bodybuilding; how it gave me more than a world-class physique.
Nearly 1 year ago, I debuted in and simultaneously retired from professional bodybuilding. September 2022 was the culmination of ~15 months of tracking and optimising every aspect of my health and nutrition, including:
- Bodyweight & muscle composition
- Calories (protein, carbs and fats)
- Hydration
- Workouts
- Sleep
Here’s an example of one of the many tracking systems my trainer Tri Tran (@alphaden.au) created for my preparation.
In the months leading up to the competition, I made the decision to drop all client projects, coaching and consulting just to focus on it.
And the irony is that even though I “lost” revenue/growth for my business and had to eat into my own savings just to compete, committing 100% to the competition resulted in the biggest ROI (“return on investment”) on my business and my life.
Why?
It gave me undeniable evidence of how powerful having a system for success in place is for the achievement of any goal.
Although I placed 2nd in my division, for the first time in years, I felt like an absolute winner in more ways than just my physique.
Hours after I got off the stage, I was so overwhelmed with this newfound feeling that I cried pure tears of:
- Joy
- Elation
- Self-Belief
- Contentment
- Accomplishment
It had nothing to do with the trophy or aesthetic (as those would fade over time).
It had everything to do with the person I had become (something that would remain over time).
Over 15 months, my identity had permanently shifted from being:
🏁 A beginner who had no idea how to deadlift, count calories or flex my muscles.
to
🏆 A bodybuilder with the habits, physique (5% body fat) & mindset of a champion
Once the competition euphoria had faded away, something else remained.
It was the inner knowing that anything is possible if you engineer the right system to help you achieve it.
With my focus returning to my business, I was obsessed with figuring out how to integrate the key aspects or “pillars” of my bodybuilding journey that led to such profound results back into my business.
Be a Student of Your Own Life
“Seek other people’s advice, but don’t take orders.
And don’t take 100% of anyone’s advice.
Make sure every decision you make is a product of your own conclusion.
Be a student, not a disciple.”
– Jim Rohn
Alongside bodybuilding, I studied other times in my life when I’d achieved a level of success greater than what I had thought I was capable of in order to identify any common denominators between them.
Times when I had focused and disciplined effort towards achieving a goal. What systems were in place for my goals to come to fruition?
What I came down to were 3 key pillars:
- Clarity – Clearly define your goal, break it down and habitualise the everyday actions towards it
- Community – Surround yourself with like-minded legends keeping you accountable
- Check-Ins – Regularly check your scorecard to assess and adjust with the support of others.
My friend, let’s systemise your success.
🎯 Clarity brings Focus
“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.
A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.
A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true”
― Greg S. Reid
Towards the end of 2019, my friend and ex-Uber colleague Mitchell Osborne-Purser shared a Facebook post inviting friends to join him for “The 100 Challenge” that would involve the first 100 days of 2020 committing to:
- Clean eating
- No alcohol/drugs
- Drink 3 litres of water daily
- Read 10 pages of a book
- 45 minutes of exercise a day
- Achieve 10 personal goals
This “game plan” was simple and straightforward.
We knew what was involved.
We knew what we were each aiming for.
And if there was any ambiguity (i.e. does clean eating exclude dark chocolate?), we had to take ownership to clarify and define what it meant for us.
Once we all locked in our 10 personal goals and placed them into a tracker for shared visibility amongst the group, it was on.
Of course, some days we didn’t hit all aspects of the challenge.
But having a game plan with the agreed-upon standards we held ourselves to, brought a heightened awareness to the times when we didn’t hit our daily habits.
And that was a powerful force helping us know what to focus on the following day to get back on track.
In my case, I was able to consistently hit the shared daily goals and achieve 80% of my personal goals.
And as it turns out, research backs this up.
You’re 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down (Matthews, G, 2007).
👉🏽 Mamba’s Actionable Tip
Clearly define your goal(s), break them down into daily habits and create a digital/physical game plan to track it.
🤝🏽 Community brings Accountability
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”
– African Proverb
Humans have 2 intrinsic motivators – pain and pleasure.
I was interested in seeing if establishing a pain-focused outcome would drive me to achieve a set of goals.
I went a step further and publicly declared it amongst a community of self-improvers that could hold me accountable to it:
While I’m not going to get political, let’s just say that I’m not a fan of this particular politician, so that idea of $500 going towards her party was a powerfulAF motivator.
But by declaring it, I discovered an even more powerful motivator…
Social accountability.
Here’s what happened in the weeks following:
I got hit with weekly posts and DMs from others checking in on me and my progress towards my goals (or the $500 donation).
Just the thought of having to tell a +100-person community that I failed to reach my goals is what caused me to achieve my goals.
And again, the research backs this up.
Social accountability makes you x6.5 times more likely to complete a goal when you declare & share it with others (ASTD, 2015).
Create, or join, an accountability group to support and hold each other to your goals.
🗓️ Check-Ins bring Support
“Being held accountable is an act of generosity and compassion.
– Minaa B.
It is a gift that someone gives us to correct our wrongs, unlearn, and do better for the sake of our own growth.
It might be uncomfortable, but it is worth the discomfort”
On top of tracking my health and nutrition on a daily basis, my trainer scheduled a fortnightly Zoom call to review and discuss my metrics & mindset throughout the entire preparation period.
It was an opportunity to celebrate wins and give some tough love to make the necessary adjustments to my workouts, nutrition or routine if it wasn’t leading towards our goals.
This was powerful because it ensured I didn’t have any unchecked blindspots that were detrimental to my overall progress.
Regular check-ins ensure you’re still on course to your goal; if not, you can then make the adjustment sooner rather than later.
And of course, research reinforces the impact that check-ins (“accountability appointments”) can have on the achievement of your goals.
You have a 95% chance of completing a goal when you have an ‘accountability appointment’ with a person or group you’ve committed to (ASTD, 2015).
👉🏽 Mamba’s Actionable Tip
Schedule recurring check-ins (i.e. Google Calendar/Reminders app) with your accountability partner or community, to review your progress towards your goals and make the necessary adjustments.
So, in summary, to systemise your success, seek:
- Clarity: Clearly define your goals, break it down into everyday habits and create a digital/physical game plan to track it
- Community: Link up with a like-minded community of others focused on the same habits to support and hold you accountable
- Check-Ins: Schedule recurring check-ins with either yourself, an accountability partner or your community to own up to what you’ve done (or haven’t), get some “tough love” (honest & constructive) feedback and make the necessary adjustments.
See you in the next one, legend.
🕺🏽 Mamba