Imagine you're on a sports team.
Let's say it's a basketball team.
Now, what's the goal of the team?
To win, right?
But what if you didn't know the score?
What if you didn't know what basket was yours, what position you were supposed to play, or what winning looked like?
That's how most of us approach fitness and any lifestyle change in general.
We're working hard, but we don't know the score, we don't know what position we're playing (what we're supposed to do), and we never know if we're winning.
So, let's clarify.
I could go down several sports analogy rabbit holes, but the two I want to focus on today is...
1. Every player has a coach
2. Every player knows what winning looks like, and keeps score.
Let's start with the first one.
I firmly believe (I know I am biased) that everyone needs a coach.
I've talked about this at length, but I'll never stop talking about it.
Most people hate fitness.
They think it's a chore, they are worried about getting hurt, and they don't know what to do.
Just like if you wanted to become a better basketball player, a better guitar player, or learn about personal finance, you'd hire a coach, why are fitness and your body any different?
Hire a coach (or team of coaches like at Spurling) who are experts at that stuff, and let them take care of it for you, show you how to do things right, coach you up on how to do things better, and keep you motivated and accountable, just like the basketball coach does for his or her players.
The second one is what I really wanted to focus on today.
Knowing what winning looks like and keeping score.
We want you to work hard, but we need to know what success looks like.
Just like in basketball, you have to work hard to win, but you damn better know what the score is and what you need to do to win.
So, how do you do that?
I'm a huge fan of having personal scorecards.
Now, before I go over what that looks like let me make an important point.
In life, we don't always win.
And that's okay.
Ted Williams had one of the highest batting averages in baseball at .406.
That means that 6/10 times he didn't have a hit.
So, I don't want you to think you have to hit 100% of anything, that's not the point.
The point is to paint a clear picture of what success looks like for you, and give you some targets to go after.
Alright, let's create a scorecard.
I recommend you have process-based goals on the scorecard.
That means, not outcome-based goals like lose weight, but a process like frequency of workouts, a number of hours slept, etc.
You can control the process that leads to the outcome, you can't control the outcome.
Let me repeat that...
You can control the process that leads to the outcome, you can't control the outcome.
So, everyone's scorecard is going to be different but here are some ideas
A number of workouts in a month (I like 10 as a goal).
A number of hours slept in a month (I like 200 as a goal).
A number of meals prepared in a week...
A number of pounds lifted in a certain exercise...
etc, etc...
You get the idea.
Your scorecard should only be 3-5 items.
For most, I would have one on fitness, one on nutrition, and one on sleep and/or stress.
You can also include things like gratitude or appreciation.
Either way, you just have to ask yourself this question...
"If this week/month went exactly as I would have hoped for, what does it look like?"
That's your scorecard.
And again, it just allows you to keep score, to compete with yourself each month, to challenge yourself, and to give yourself a pat on the back when you hit those goals.
Big tip...
Make an actual scorecard!
I know it seems obvious.
But don't just keep track of it in your head or on your phone.
Get creative, and make an actual physical card that you fill out each month.
We always want to work hard, but we also always want to know where we're going.
Finally, remember my point from above.
The best batter in baseball strikes out 6/10 times.
The goal is not perfection, but progress.
What's on your scorecard?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling
PS: On July 1st we'll be launching our #100WorkoutChallenge. This is an annual thing at Spurling, and it's always a huge hit. We give everyone a card with 100 boxes, and they have to get it initialed by a coach every time they workout. The goal is to fill all 100 boxes by December 31st. And of course, we have prizes at the end :)
If you're already a member of Spurling, keep an eye out in coming weeks as we'll make sure we get a card to you and go over the details.
If you've been hesitant to give us a try, now is your chance. Get in this month before we start the 100 Workout Challenge so we can help keep you motivated and accountable for the second half of 2018. Just reply to this with "interested" and we'll get the ball rolling.