Achieving optimal demands that you become “brilliant on the basics” as Vince Lombardi phrased it when he first took over the Green Bay Packers. If you are serious about achieving your best life, I recommend beginning with three fundamentals that you can then build upon indefinitely.
First, establish your top five goals. Clarity is essential. Make sure you set goals across all areas of life. Having only business or financial goals is insufficient. Determine how you want to grow in your faith, as a husband, as a parent, in your fitness, and economically as well.
Then, set ambitious goals in each of those growth areas. It’s fine to have more than five goals, but you should be crystal clear on which of your goals are prioritized as the “top 5”. These top five should be front and center on your PortableCOACH.
The second fundamental is your weekly debrief. Once you have identified and committed to your top five goals, then the next most important fundamental is weekly planning. This means pausing once every seven days and evaluating what’s working and what’s not working in each aspect of your life. For best results, do this at the same time every week.
Most clients find early Sunday before church or early Monday morning to be optimal. Others complete this weekly debrief Friday afternoon before taking off for the weekend. Find what works best and just do it…and do it consistently. In addition to our WeeklyCOACH template, here are three questions to ask yourself once per week.
- What’s gone well in the last week?
- What’s not gone so well in the last week?
- What am I committed to doing differently in the upcoming week?
Make sure to ask the above questions in light of your “top 5 goals.”
As simple as those three questions are, they will quickly become a game changer in how you think and course correct as well. It’s also makes sense to coach your leadership team using these same three questions on a regular basis.
The third fundamental is your early morning success ritual. Your E.M.S.R. is a deliberate and intentional way to wake up and seize the day. It is your customized collection of goal-directed morning activities that build momentum for an optimal day. With an E.M.S.R. you start the day with purpose, connect with God before you face the world, and warm up your mind, body, and spirit.
Here are the three areas of emphasis.
- Spiritual – Reading the bible, devotion time, prayer, gratitude, faith-based reading, etc.
- Directional – This is your mental work. Where are you headed? Review long/short term goals. Scan the day’s priorities. Visualize and affirm your most important goals.
- Physical – Kick off the day with mini-exercise routine, pure hydration, clean fuel, supplements and other health and energy boosters.
It’s possible to win every so often without practicing the fundamentals, but if you want to win consistently and achieve optimal, you must become brilliant on the basics!
