Push-Ups

Drop and give me twenty!

If you ever served in the military, you’ve likely heard that before. Or, in my case, while participating in a summer tennis clinic, I was fiddling a little too much with my racquet and dropping it while the coach was speaking, so he said – 10 push-ups! Kind of embarrassing. But I nailed them.

How many push-ups can you do? My guess…more than you think.  Regardless of your condition, you can do more than you think. And if you’re in really good condition and can do 100 push-ups, your number is still better than you think. I’ll prove it, on paper at least. Imagine a challenge between two healthy, similarly built and motivated men. They both have the same personal best when it comes to push-ups.  The reward – do the most push-ups and get a $100 dollar bill. Who gets the $100 dollar bill? Simple, the guy who goes second. Doesn’t matter who he is. What matters is that he has something the other guy doesn’t. He has a goal.

Clearly, goals drive performance! Never forget it. Whether you buy in or not, I’ve just proven it. And you already know it.

Even if you do nothing to chase your goal, as long as it’s clearly stated and written down, it will still impact your performance. Your subconscious will see what it didn’t see before because it’s been given a reason to notice. Amidst all the massive filtering our minds do every minute, we can provide instructions for specific things to get through those filters. Those are tied to our goals.

Now, add the conscious element to the subconscious instructions, and you’re really going somewhere. I’ll leave it there since there are countless resources for effective goal setting.  My point is simple. If you don’t believe in the power of goals. Think about the push-up example. There is no question that the goal drives the performance and, ultimately, does lead to victory!

Are you interested in greater performance? Do you want more money, more profit, more strength, more stamina, less weight, less dependence, a greater marriage, better relationships with your kids, to get your degree, etc? You are productive. You are getting things done every day. But the questions is, are you doing a “thing” or chasing a goal? 

Now, drop and give me twenty-one!