Do you want to set an important goal and accomplish it? Prioritize convenience. Do not prioritize hard work, commitment, overcoming obstacles, or intense self-discipline. Make convenience your top priority. Let me explain.
Convenience leads to commitment, and the resulting commitment leads to accomplishing goals. I believe strongly in setting goals, large and small, and establishing daily habits that move you toward those goals. As I've reviewed my enjoyment of this process and the results that it has yielded in almost every role I've ever held, I realized how important convenience was in the early stages of establishing these important daily habits and routines. I almost do it naturally when I've settled in on a goal; I will carefully orchestrate my daily calendar, inform the people that the goal may impact, and neatly organize my personal spaces to ensure that it is as easy as possible to make a daily effort to pursue my goal. I am preemptively removing any excuse or obstacle that would get in the way. In essence, I am making the daily pursuit of the goal as convenient as possible. The best part about this is that as results appear, the necessity of convenience decreases as my commitment to see the process through to goal achievement increases. After a while, heaven and earth could be falling around me, and I will not skip my daily pursuit of whatever the goal may be. My pursuit of a goal has now become an unwavering commitment.
Let me give you an example...
When I was 12 or 13, I wanted to dunk a basketball. My father was a high school basketball coach, and he informed me that he was not blessed with the type of athleticism required to dunk a basketball and then explained the 'apple and the tree' concept to me. He then told me that the only way to overcome these genetic realities was through weight training that would strengthen my legs. We got our hands on a small plastic-coated cement weight set, and I carefully organized it in our garage. I began to go out to that garage a lot and work on strengthening my lower legs. Early on, I did it conveniently and never let anything in that garage cramp my little weight-lifting space. It was very convenient to walk out into my garage, execute my routine in my carefully organized little space, and then go about the rest of my day. And then, one day, it happened. I was jumping noticeably higher! To my surprise, my daily habit was working!! At that point, it now didn't matter what happened during my day or how cluttered, hot, or cold my garage got; I never missed my workout. Get up before school? Yes. Stay up late at night? Yes. It. Did. Not. Matter. I would not miss my workouts because I knew they were working. Convenience had paved the way for commitment. Commitment worked out its eventual result, and I achieved my goal to the tune of many dunks in many high school and college basketball games.
This process has played out in dozens of other examples in my life, but it always begins the same. I even earned my Doctor of Education degree utilizing these same concepts. It doesn't begin with a gut-wrenching effort. It doesn't begin with mind-bending self-discipline. It begins with a small daily habit carefully prioritized to be convenient.
The next time you set a goal, establish a routine that is convenient, and then the door will be opened for the necessary component of commitment to enter and lead you to significant accomplishments.
Keep on, keepin’ on, friends!
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. Read about it more here. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here!
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have three children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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