Beat perfectionism by following the Good, Better, Best Framework!
We’ve all been there before. You set a goal of working out 5 days a week, but you only workout 3 days. Or you say you want to lose 10 pounds, but you only lose 7. Or maybe your goal was to bring lunch to work every day this week, but you missed a day.
Does that mean if you worked out 3 days, or lost 7 pounds, or brought lunch to work 4 out of 5 days that you’re a failure?
Hell no!!
So how do we stop being so hard on ourselves?
Next time you set a goal, set three goals instead: A good, better, and best goal.
Think of it as, “first base, second base, home run” or “must see, would like to see, would love to see.”
This practice contains a few built-in success principles:
- Be specific
- Be flexible
- Be compassionate
Be Specific
For goals, we want to make sure our goals are super clear and measurable. So saying something like, “I’d like to lose weight” is great, but getting more specific is even better. “I will lose 10 pounds in 30 days.” When you’re on your goals, you can then measure your progress against those goals day after day and week after week.
Be Flexible
Life happens. Understanding that before you set out to achieve your goal is going to set you up for reality when things inevitably get in the way. So be unreasonable when you set goals, but be realistic too. Can I lose 15 pounds in a month? Probably! Would I be stoked if I lost 5 pounds? Absolutely!
Be Compassionate
This is the secret sauce to overcoming the need to be “ALL or NOTHING” when it comes to achieving our goals. Say your best goal is to bring your lunch to work every day this week, but one morning you wake up late and rush out the door and forget your lunch at home, so you order lunch at work. Does that mean you should drive your car off the bridge on your way home? NO! Just fix it and get back on the horse the next meal or the next day.
When we set Good, Better, and Best Goals, we set ourselves up to win at ALL levels!