The Challenge of Sustainable Commitment
How many times have we had these amazing New Year’s resolutions and then within the first few weeks, you break all the resolutions you made? Most people have all these wonderful plans, dreams, and ideas when they plan ahead for the year. Sadly, most of these plans and dreams are crushed in the first two months of the year because life happens. The reality is that you need to be very disciplined and extremely deliberate when you commit to these resolutions. I will try and give you three things that could possibly help so that even if life happens, you could still push forward and commit to your resolutions.
Successful goal setting is not about what you decide but more about how you embed follow-through and accountability. A decision made in your head doesn’t always follow through into action. You need to be meticulous in your planning and make 100% sure you do your daily tasks, weekly tasks, and ultimately your monthly tasks. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.” Your destiny is in your hands and not in anybody else’s hands.
Tip 1: Implement Accountability Partners
I believe that we all need accountability partners. If you commit to something, then make sure you have someone that can hold you accountable. Let’s take training for example (Surprise-surprise). If you commit to go to the gym every day or run every day, then find a partner who will get you out of bed on a very cold, wet winter’s morning. The other option is to get yourself a personal trainer.
If you commit to chasing a big business target, then find someone in the business that can be your accountability partner. They will not only help you track your progress but also encourage you when the chips are down and the big target starts to fade in the distance. The fact of the matter is that we all need someone to help us when we commit to big dreams that scare us.
Tip 2: Focus on Behaviour, Not Outcome
The third and final tip is that you must focus more on behaviour rather than the outcome. What you do hourly, daily, and weekly will ultimately determine if you are going to achieve that big target or if you are going to achieve that summer body before December. Our daily rituals must reflect our daily targets. I often look too far ahead and then the target becomes so big that you start doubting yourself. The old saying of, “How do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time!
I love setting goals that scare me, especially in endurance events: one Ironman, one Cape Epic, one Otter Trail Run. The secret to success in all these events was to trust the system and never vary from your weekly training block. May you be disciplined, focused, and super motivated to achieve all your goals for 2026, despite the fact that a few events might pop up that can take you off course.
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If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.