Same old Monday blues? Or excited because it is a new week and the 1st of the month and the 1st day of Q4 ?

Having been a coach and performance expert for nearly two decades I have a little perspective and one of my biggest questions is …why don’t people follow through (and that sometimes includes me)?

We all know what to do but we don’t always do what we know.

That’s because we are addicted to our patterns. Sorry if that sounds negative but in examining ‘why’ we don’t do something it is inevitable that we will need to look at negatives.

Here is an illustration in the team context:

We’ve all suffered through it.

The monthly call where the team leader starts predicting bold success.

“We’re gonna crush it”

Have you been there?

I’m all for setting ambitious goals but ONLY if they’re backed by a robust forecasting and tracking/reporting system that helps bridge those goals into reality.

Without that, you and your team have an unrealistic (and unwinnable) game.

What pattern makes us want to hit Big Hairy Audacious Goals and ride shotgun into the sunset? I suggest pathological optimism.

On other other hand what pattern stops us even trying or worse sabotaging our own efforts or the efforts of others? I suggest fear.

The root beliefs that support our behavioral patterns are beyond the scope of this article but we can follow simple systems that adjust our external behavior to avoid inertia or unconscious sabotage.

Here’s how to have an amazing Q4 (the following uses the GoalShaper system)

• Review your Annual Plan.
• Reconnect to your ‘why’ by reviewing your images under Vision Board.
• Review your quarterly milestones.
• Review last months goals.

Ask yourself :

• What worked …celebrate and smile.
• What didn’t work – adjust and carry on or delete.

Next… score your monthly compass which is a ‘feeling’ about how you are doing against each of your categories or spokes. You don’t need a prefect round but you do you need to pay attention and make sure you haven’t dropped any balls.

if you don’t want to do this ask yourself why inertia is winning. Perhaps there is a fear based belief lurking under the surface? Yes you can be more free and more spontaneous under discipline than without discipline.

It’s funny… planning and reviewing only works. As I review my goals form last month I can see that I achieved all of my most important goals.

And the added bonus of using GoalShaper is that you can join us on our mission to eliminate ancient paper methods and help save the planet at the same time as helping yourself.

To your success!