Empower Yourself: Defeat Setbacks with This Must-Try Exercise
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." --Benjamin Franklin
Prepare yourself ahead of time for any obstacles that could stand in your way of accomplishing what you want to today.
When you think about how you will handle a setback ahead of time, if it happens, it is not such a big blow because you know exactly what you will do.
So today ask yourself:
What do you want to accomplish today? What is your goal?
What stands in your way? What obstacles or setbacks can you think of that stand in the way of your accomplishing your goals?
What can you do instead to fortify your results? How could you handle the obstacles so you reach your goal?
Writing your answers as an if/then statement (also called an implementation intention) helps you be prepared for if you run into a setback that could pull you away from achieving your goals today.
Basically you say, “If X happens, then I will do Y.”
“If _____(this obstacle)____ happens,
then I will ____(do this action that supports my goals in question one)______)_.”
For example:
Answer to #1: I have a goal to publish 2-3 times per week.
Answer to #2: Distraction and procrastination are two of the main things that stand in my way.
Answer to #2 and #3 in an if/then statement:
To fortify my results, my if/then statements are:
If I catch myself procrastinating, then I will open a Word document and just start writing, no editing.
If I start to get distracted, then I will stop the distraction, set a 30-minute timer, and begin working on my to-do list.
Research shows that those who use implementation intentions are more likely to reach their goals. Go ahead, give it a try…