“Something I really admire about you is that you know what you want and you know how to make it happen,” my friend said while sipping coffee outside Starbucks.
While I’m pretty sure I laughed it off and said “thank you” I’m 100% sure I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her compliment.
It’s not the first time someone has commented on me getting stuff done.
But it sure is the first time I took the comment seriously (even if it took me a whole 72 hours). I’ve just always assumed that if you want something you figure out how to actualize it, or at least get as close to it as possible. So, I asked myself, “Am I actually good at getting what I want done?!”.
Well, I’ve...
Raised enough money to send 4 people to a 4-day leadership school by making and selling meals
Completed 5 sprint and 1 international triathlon
Passed my personal training license after studying for only a month
coached two moms to successfully complete their first triathlon
Played the harp professionally and volunteered in the hospital hospice unit (you can read about how that almost didn’t happen here).
Taught dance and created my own genre
Been an Artistic Director of a dance studio for three years
Hosted and wrote Bible studies
Taught Ballroom dance
Coordinated a statewide Youth Leadership program
Directed one of the largest youth organization in my community
Self published 2 best selling books on amazon
Sold out two conferences
Reversed an autoimmune disease with diet and lifestyle
Set a goal to buy a car, move out, and get a job which I achieve in less than six months
Okay, I’ll admit it, the list was long enough to convince me I have a thing for accomplishing what I want.
Next I asked myself, what did I do before I got these results? Like what were the steps to getting where I wanted to be?
And guess what?! There was a pattern. A formula, if you will.
Lead with the dream.
Identify your MVA (minimum viable action).
Establish a system to frequently and repeatedly do your MVA.
Create space for grace.
Connect your long term dream with your short term action.
Believe in the goodness your dream brings to the world.
Get people involved - whether that's a coach, accountability partner, team, or speakers at your event.
LEAD WITH THE DREAM
Everytime I have a new idea it truly starts with a far-fetched idea. I’m a dreamer, what can I say. Sometimes I move on the idea immediately, but lately I’ve been sitting with my idea, letting it evolve, and testing to see how long it will stay at the front of my mind.
Regardless of when I start I spend a lot of time with the dream, seeing it in my imagination, visualizing myself walking out the steps, and feeling the feelings that will come with the moment of achievement. I let myself get caught up in all the fun and exciting parts of the idea.
Emily P Freeman said on her podcast that one of the ways to accomplish your dream is by spending time on the fun stuff first. Before she started “The Next Right Thing” podcast she almost didn’t because she didn’t know how she would record, edit, and upload audio footage. Afterall, she was writer.
But she spent so much time writing her podcast scripts and envisioning the logo and who her podcast would bless that when it came time to figure out the tech side of things she was willing to give it her all (you can hear about it for yourself here).
I’m with Emily. The technology of my dreams cripples me. But if I spend time envisioning what it will feel like to complete a 5k at an 8min pace, or make the conference agenda with suggested speakers for my next event, you bet I’m bringing that goal to the world. I’ve just spent too much time investing with the fun stuff and envisioning the good my goal will bring to the world or myself to give up because of something I don’t know.
I have a friend who LOVES details - excel is like her best friend. If you’re like her, the big vision might cripple you. Instead of visualizing the bigness get clear on the details. Make spreadsheets to get all your thoughts in order and break down the numbers.
Whatever you geek out over is what you should be spending your “dream time” on.
IDENTIFY YOUR MVA
If your dream is big enough, which I hope it is, there are like a million things you need to do to achieve your goal, right?!
So the MVA is the one thing you can do right now that will get you closer to your goal/dream.
When we have a goal, it’s easy to get stuck in the space between us and the goal, whether that’s time, skills, weight, finances, mobility, connection, we let what we don’t have stop us from using what we DO have to get what we want.
Identifying your MVA gets you out of this place.
MVA has to meet a couple of qualification:
It must be something that moves me closer to my goals and dreams.
It must be something that I will actually do (if my MVA moves me closer to my goals but I’m too afraid to do it, the MVA is no good).
It must be something I can do quickly and frequently.
Leah Weiss said in her book How We Work that “Behavioral change researchers repeatedly find that small incremental changes, hen done repeatedly and consistently, win the day. So, the context of our lives, that means making simple goals that we can execute day to day. (p. 200)”.
See, most of us have a life in full motion that we’re trying to add a goal to. Sound like you? Same. I moved to a new city about nine months ago. I’m the oldest daughter of 12 kids (that means keeping up with a lot of phone calls - not to mention my friends). I’ve got a part time job. I’m building a copywriting business. And I love crossfit a little too much most days.
If I’m going to do something like start a blog or train for a competition my goals need to be small. Something I can (and will) do regularly.
BLOG (goal: encourage others via a blog): publish one blog post a week on Wednesday.
COMPETITION (goal: no modifications for the 2020 open): I have created myself a 15min set of exercises that will connect me to the full version of three crossfit movements that I can’t currently do.
I know successful bloggers will say to blog three times a week (I might be able to do that for one week, maybe a whole month if I’m lucky), but that’s not something I can do on a regular basis. Also, I didn’t tell myself how long the blog post has to be. As long as I am publishing on my blog every week on Wednesday it is a success!
Moment of truth: I HATE doing modifications at crossfit. I hate using less weight because of injuries and mobility challenges. But I can do anything for 15min. I guarantee you I’m not going to show up once a week for an hour to work on the movements I haven’t mastered (especially when it includes modifications AND less weight), but I can find it in myself to stay 15min after a workout and do a few things I hate to get me where I ultimately want to be.
Does that make sense?!
Wrapping up this section, three questions to qualify your MVA:
Is _______ getting me closer to my dream?
Is _______ something I will actually do?
Is _______ something I can do quickly and frequently?
Alrighy, this is getting long. More than anything else I want this content to help you achieve more and feel awesome about yourself. So, I’m gonna give you some homework for this week and next week I’ll teach you how to create systems that channel your perseverance and power to get the stuff you want done, done - that's right, it's not magic will-power, it's system-power (sound good?!).
Pick an epic goal. That doesn’t mean monumental, like climb mount everest or compete in the crossfit games. It means a goal that makes you excited (preferably something you’d like to do THIS YEAR). If you’re stuck this is the question I ask myself: If I get to the end of the year and only accomplish ONE thing, what one thing would make me feel like I finished this year well?
Dream about it. Set a timer for 5 minutes and imagine what it will be like. Hop on pinterest and find pictures that help you envision it. Write your dream in words.
One of my dreams for this year is to spend a month in at a ski lodge (skiing in the morning and writing in the afternoon), so I have a pinterest board full of ski lodges and a girl skiing.
In February 2018 I wrote three things on a sticky note: get a job, get a car, get my own place. None of it happened in that order, but in less than six months I was living in FL and getting paid as a writer. I currently have a sticky note on my bed frame with the amount of income I want to make as a writer and hours I want to work.
Brainstorm your MVA. Make a list of 5 things you can do RIGHT NOW to get you closer to that ONE thing.
Choose your MVA. Go through the MVA qualification questions and circle all the answers that qualify. If you circled more than one, go back through and highlight the your favorite MVA
Reach Out. If you did ANY PART of the assignments send me a DM or email (sisiroose@gmail.com)!