• Using the 5 P's to Examine our Obstacles - Making Things Easier on Yourself: March Theme of the Month 2022
• Last month we started to break our goals down into their elemental steps - what was one small step you could take today to work toward your goals? This month we are going to examine why it is that sometimes we do not work toward our goals.
• Not sure if it's an evolutionary adaption to conserve energy but most of us don't want to do things that are hard
• We like doing things we are good at or that are easy but may avoid or procrastinate big or unfamiliar projects
○ For example we all know generally what we need to do for better health: eat better and move more. But how do we get ourselves to do it?
○ And better yet why are we not doing it?
• Think of all the excuses or obstacles you might face and start to come up with a plan B,C,D
○ Going to work out at 6am but have a hard time waking up or have an early meeting - work out at this time instead or a different day
○ Have a hard time working out by yourself - find an account-a-buddy, a workout partner, get a trainer, or join a class!
• Plan! The more details the better. I can't remember the origin but at one point I learned about the 5 P's: proper planning prevents poor performance
• So when setting goals I ask clients all the time: what is the path of least resistance?
○ It is not about being lazy - it's about refuting excuses
• Set limitations for yourself and some type of reward system if necessary for accomplishing them
○ Reward should not necessarily negate the work you've put in so a donut may not be a reward for a workout
○ Think about things for relaxation or stress relief
○ Set and respect "Emergency Days" - one or two a week but not being lazy - legit reasons
• Consider why you are making those excuses? Is there an underlying reason? Can you break the task down into smaller more manageable pieces?
• If there are too many obstacles or you procrastinate long enough - face it it's probably not going to happen and maybe you should shift what your goal is or determine if that goal is actually important/necessary right now
○ For example right now in comp season I should be recovering instead of working out hard 5 days/wk but maybe I could adapt it to stretching/rolling and 2-3 workouts a week or recovery style workouts
• OR maybe you have to long-term adapt your lifestyle to fit your goals
○ If you want to travel you probably want a job with schedule or location flexibility not one where you are the only person doing your job and your department cannot run without you
○ When I wanted to try out for Blazers I realized that even though I could make it work with a 9-5 there would be quite a few times I would have to leave early and having a more flexible job (coffee and training) would be easier to rearrange my schedule
○ Start to think about the adaptations you want to make to your goals or lifestyle so that they align with each other.
• Actionable item: Every day write down at least one goal you are working on, one obstacle that you anticipate or experience, and how you are going to adapt either your approach/tactic or the goal to make it work. Remember the 5 P's "Proper planning prevents poor performance." Rather than just going with the flow - try to build a dam and direct the flow.
• Life Coach Radio- Excuses Be Gone! : https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SpT0Tulj6JYBv2AvbWmAg...
• 120. Ask yourself these 8 things every morning : https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q2oMD2oO8Oyu8d1tQUmLQ...
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