Over the course of my 51 years of being on this planet, I’ve started, stopped, and quit more things than I care to admit. Diets, exercise programs, projects, hobbies, business ideas, and other things I’d rather not mention.
Similarly, I have found that there are many things I have been able to consistently pursue, leading to mastery in those subjects. The key factor in whether or not I stuck with something came down to having an effective system in place. This system made it effortless for me to show up every day and focus on the essential work.
Today, I will share a guide on how to create your own system for achieving your goals. This system will effectively help you make progress towards the things that truly matter to you.
First of all, here’s an interesting fact.
“…only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. Research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.” (Ohio State University Fisher College of Business Feb. 2023),
Chances are, this isn’t surprising to you. Maybe you’re even one of those people right now?
Let’s be honest, setting smart goals and following through to achieve them is tough, especially for an aging martial artist.
You still love training and practicing and have good intentions of setting new goals for your training. However, you’re finding that it’s getting more difficult to step onto the martial arts mat with the same zest and pep you’ve had over the years. Not to mention the fact that it’s taking you longer to get out of bed in the morning after a hard night of training.
I’m right there with you for what it’s worth. 😅
For most of us, admitting this is not something we care to do. Like many older martial artists, we believe we can still train the same way we did in our twenties.
However, as we’ve grown older, we’ve (hopefully) learned the importance of working smarter and not necessarily harder. This means making things as easy as possible to show up and achieve results.
Here is my formula for achieving lofty, or even not-so-lofty goals:
Simple System + Consistent Action = Results
Within that formula, there are three things we need to do:
- Find your why
- Have a SMART goal
- Make it stupidly simple to execute
Over the years, I have used this formula to achieve challenging goals with excellent results. Implementing this process will require some careful consideration. But the exciting part is that once you have it figured out, you will be eager to take action every day.
Let’s dive in.
Finding Your Why
Alright, I won’t sugarcoat it. This is a significant matter that may require some time to fully unpack. However, trust me, it’s important.
It will be the motivating factor on those days when you’d rather say, “Screw it,” and skip your training. So, take the time to honestly figure this out.
Every successful endeavor I’ve pursued has had a clear and compelling WHY behind it.
Your “why” is the underlying purpose, motivation, or reason behind your actions. It’s the deep-rooted meaning that drives your actions and choices. When it comes to us aging martial artists, there are several reasons that highlight the importance of discovering your “why” before setting goals:
- Long-Term Motivation:
- As an older martial artist, the journey comes with unique challenges. Knowing your “why” provides long-term motivation. It will serve as a constant reminder of why you started practicing martial arts in the first place. And this is going to help you stay committed when faced with those challenges.
- Tailored Goals:
- Your “why” guides the creation of meaningful and personalized goals. It allows you to set objectives that align with your values, aspirations, and the specific benefits you seek. This tailored approach increases the likelihood of success and fulfillment when you plug in the other 2 parts of the system.
- Adaptability:
- Understanding your “why” allows you to adapt your goals as needed. Whether it’s focusing on flexibility, balance, or mental well-being, your underlying motivation helps you make adjustments that will suit your current circumstances.
- Resilience:
- Knowing your “why” instills resilience. It will help you push through difficulties, accept setbacks, and continue your practice with a positive mindset, promoting mental and emotional well-being.
- Health and Well-Being:
- As an older martial artist, health and well-being such be significant priorities. Your “why” may be rooted in maintaining physical fitness, preventing chronic conditions, or achieving mental clarity. Understanding this motivation ensures that your goals contribute to overall health.
- Enjoyment and Fulfillment:
- Martial arts should bring joy and fulfillment! Your “why” reflects your passion and connection to the practice. Setting goals aligned with your passion ensures that you enjoy the journey, making it more likely that you’ll stick with it over the long term.
- Community and Connection:
- Martial arts often involve a sense of community and connection. That’s why I started the Juyukai after all! Your “why” may include building relationships, sharing experiences, or passing on knowledge. Recognizing this motivation helps you set goals that contribute to a supportive and communal martial arts environment.
Finding your “why” before deciding on your main goal ensures that your objectives are meaningful, adaptable, and aligned with your values. It provides the motivation needed to navigate challenges, promotes overall well-being, and enhances the enjoyment and fulfillment derived from your martial arts practice.
Here’s your homework:
What is your current WHY?
I use the term “current” because your motivation has more than likely changed from when you were a younger martial artist. I know mine sure has.
Alternatively, you might be just starting out in martial arts. If that’s the case, what do you hope to gain from practicing martial arts? Why are you attending class at this moment?
This is a decision that only you can make, and it should hold a deeper significance for you.
You may initially believe that you’re pursuing martial arts to enhance your self-defense skills. I encourage you however to delve deeper into this idea. Instead, consider the emotional experience you desire from it. And by the way, this isn’t some mystical woo-woo concept.
I’m referring to the sensation of knowing that you have the ability to handle yourself. Not just in confrontations but in every aspect of your life. It’s about possessing the confidence and peace of mind to be authentic in any situation.
That’s just one example.
Again,
What is your WHY?
Once you have that figured out, it’s time to move on to the next part of the equation.
Have A Smart Goal
Now that you have your why, it’s time to figure out your goal.
Clearly articulate the specific goal you want to achieve. Provide detailed and specific information to understand the outcome you are aiming for. This is why it’s important to have a SMART goal. SMART goals use a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goal-setting framework.
Let’s say for example that you are a beginner at grappling. Here are two examples of how you could set up your goal of being a better grappler.
Bad Example: “I want to be a grappling expert.”
This goal is vague and lacks specificity, measurability, and a clear timeframe. It doesn’t provide any details on how you plan to achieve expertise in grappling or how you will measure your progress. Additionally, the lack of a timeframe makes it difficult to track your improvement and sets the stage for procrastination.
SMART Example: “I want to improve my grappling skills over the next six months by attending two grappling classes per week. I will focus only on learning and mastering fundamental techniques such as escapes and positional control. I will measure my progress by tracking the number of successful escapes to positional control I accomplish during sparring sessions with people of my own level. By the end of the six months, I aim to consistently execute these basic techniques effectively in live grappling situations, demonstrating a measurable improvement in my overall grappling proficiency.”
This SMART goal is specific (improving grappling skills through regular classes), measurable (tracking successful escapes), achievable (attending two classes per week), relevant (focused on fundamental techniques in grappling), and time-bound (achieving the goal within six months). This makes it a well-structured and actionable goal that sets clear expectations for the learning process and improvement in grappling skills.
By making the focus on a single concept, escapes, it allows the freedom to not have to worry about trying to master everything in the grappling realm. By making escapes to positional control the first focus, they are building a strong base that will serve them well as they move forward in their grappling career.
Another example could be that you find yourself gassing out during your 1-hour grappling class, forcing you to take multiple breaks.
An example of a SMART Goal for this could be**:**
“I will improve my endurance and stamina to avoid gassing out during my 1-hour grappling class within the next eight weeks. I will achieve this by implementing cardiovascular training outside of grappling class at least three times per week. I will track my progress by monitoring the duration and intensity of my workouts, ensuring a steady improvement. Additionally, I will implement controlled breathing techniques during grappling drills to optimize my energy efficiency. By the end of the eight weeks, my goal is to actively participate in the entire 1-hour grappling class without experiencing excessive fatigue.”
Every goal of course is going to be different for each and every one of us. But one thing they all have in common is that the tasks must be so stupidly easy to implement that you actually do them.
To simplify the process, we need specific details on what needs to be done and how to do it.
Here’s what that looks like.
Make It Stupidly Simple To Do
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” – Desmond Tutu
Once you have determined your “why” and established a SMART goal, the next step is to break down that goal into its essential components. This can be achieved through the process of reverse engineering.
Reverse engineering a goal and simplifying each step is an effective strategy for transforming a complex objective into a manageable and attainable plan. By breaking down the goal into its essential parts and simplifying each step, you create a roadmap that enables you to make consistent progress on a daily basis with greater ease.
Within that roadmap, you create a simple task that, by performing it each day, brings you closer and closer to your goal. The key point, however, is to make that task so simple that it would be foolish not to do it every day.
Let’s take a step back and consider how to reverse engineer our plan to become an Escape Artist in 6 months. I don’t want to delve too deeply into specific techniques, so let’s keep it simple and focus on the overall concept.
We know that we’re going to focus on escapes for the next six months. In this case, you might have a little micro “why” in that you are sick and tired of getting crushed on the bottom every single time you roll with other beginners.
First, let’s consider the key positions where you may find yourself trapped. As a beginner, you will often end up on the bottom in side control or mount control. Although there are other positions you may encounter, these two are good ones to start with.
Therefore, we could clarify our 6-month goal as being able to successfully escape mount and side control in order to gain positional control.
To achieve this, we can break it down into 3 escapes from each position: 3 from mount and 3 from side control. This will give us a total of 6 escapes. We can focus on one escape each month for the next six months.
Here’s a super impressive sketch that I did showing you what that could look like.
While you will continue learning other things in class, the purpose of having a single focus for each month is to ensure that when you step on the mat, your focus is on escapes.
The Daily Task
This is where the daily task comes into play, and you make it incredibly easy to the point where there is no way you would skip it.
Let me give you an example outside of grappling.
If you want to improve your ability to do push-ups, you may decide to challenge yourself by doing 100 push-ups every day for 30 days.
While this goal is admirable, if you are not already regularly doing push-ups, there is a high chance that you will not be able to complete this challenge. Throughout the 30-day period, there may be days when unexpected circumstances arise. You might be sick or pressed for time, making it difficult to complete the full set of 20 good push-ups, let alone the remaining 80 with compromised form. Additionally, you may experience fatigue or muscle soreness, leading you to skip a day.
This pattern of starting and stopping becomes a never-ending cycle that ultimately results in giving up altogether. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead, make it so simple it would be stupid not to do it.
In other words, make it easy to just DO the thing.
For example, instead of 100 push-ups, just do 3. Or even 1!
Seriously. Make it THAT simple.
Making it easy like this will not only help you achieve your goal, but it will also motivate you to consistently show up and take action every single day. Additionally, you will find yourself doing more than just 1 or 3 push-ups.
Alright, so let’s get back to our goal of becoming a masterful Escape Artist in 6 months. To achieve this, we can break down our daily task as follows:
Practice a solo escape drill for 1 minute at home.
Hell, you could even just perform this escape once every day!
Combine this with imagery drills, as discussed in this article, and you’ll be better off than 99% of the other students in your class.
By repeating the movement pattern daily, you’ll be prepared to use the escape during situational sparring or rolling in your class. Refer back to my amazing sketch to see where that fits in.
The key here is to consistently show up each day and take action. The more clarity you have about what your daily tasks are, and the easier you make them to accomplish, the more progress you will make.
So, to wrap it up:
- Find your why
- Have a SMART goal
- Make it stupidly simple to execute
The initial planning process may not be easy, but it is worth the effort. Take the time to sit down and go through this process to create a system that is specifically designed for you. Once you achieve that goal, evaluate your progress and repeat the process. By doing so, you will be able to maintain your momentum and continue making progress indefinitely.
Just one more thing to help keep you on the mat forever. 🙂
P.S.
If you are unclear as to how to break your goal into its essential parts and tasks then I suggest discussing this with your instructor. Set up a private lesson with them and come prepared by having your WHY and SMART goals laid out. That way the time can be spent more wisely in them helping you figure out the daily tasks to execute.
P.P.S.
If you don’t have access to someone who can help you, I am offering limited consultations to help create a personalized system tailored to your needs. You can contact me here for details and pricing.