Move the Needle Part Four: Stay on Track

by Kerry Taylor

Welcome back. When we last spoke you were finishing up your game plans. (Part One, Part Two, Part Three) Once your game plan is created, now we need to put it all into action. Putting your plan into action and seeing it all through is hard as hell. Why? Simply put, because of life, there will be detractors, distractions, the dependability on others, procrastination, and the unknown. But don't get down and say, "the hell with it." That is a definite no-no because, lucky for you, I have some tools for you to put in place to keep yourself on task. Check these out:

Have Weekly Meetings
Set in stone a weekly meeting with your team or someone you know that will help you move your needle forward. You can make this meeting as long or as short as you need it to be, but the key to it is that you are doing and discussing things in the meeting that are moving you forward. This will serve as a check-in for you to see where you are and what you need to do before the next time you meet to make sure progress is made. 

Have an Accountability Partner(s)
Once you have established your game plan and goals, share it with someone or a group of people. The agreement is that you both are trying to move forward towards something and each of you will hold each other accountable to that goal or goals. It's easy for us to let ourselves down, but when you know you may be letting someone else down and that you will be hearing from them, it makes it a lot tougher. 

Rewards
In every game plan there should be built in milestones or incentives. When a milestone or incentive is reached, reward yourself. Not with something insignificant but with something very substantial to you. By doing this, it will create a habit over time for yourself to keep moving forward because you like the feeling of receiving the rewards you have placed out there for yourself.

Coach or Mentor
We all need coaches and mentors at some level in our lives. They have some knowledge that we do not and will help guide us with their perspectives on what should be done to get where you want to be. They are often people that, over time, you have built a huge trust in that eventually you can be extremely open and candid with. They will shoot you straight in those tough moments. 

Reminders
Set and place reminders everywhere to keep you going. You can set an alarm on your phone for daily reminders. You can set future reminders on your phone that will pop up every once in a while to make sure you are on track. Leave pictures, sticky notes, photos in places you frequent that keep your goal and what you are striving for top of mind. There are also a ton of apps out there that you could possibly use to help you stay on track and remind you how far you have come. I started to play around with GoalsonTrack. I will let you know how it goes for me.

Family and Friends
The right family and friends, that is. These people will and can play a pivotal role in this process because no one cares about you more than family and friends. Share what you want with these people, they will help you get there through an emotional attachment that you may have with each other.

I wish you well on this amazing journey we are all on to achieve greatness. I hope you were able to take something out of these last 4 blogs and were able to apply at least one aspect of them to your life to get to where you want to go. Remember, do something everyday to move the needle in your favor. Until next time, continue to live life 1 degree above the rest.