I Feel the Need for S.P.E.E.D.

I was talking with a friend earlier today. We both got excited about the prospect of starting something new. There’s new opportunity, new growth, new challenges. And, ultimately, new learning. We laughed at how often we, ourselves, start something new, and then, because it feels different or uncomfortable, we drop it.

Like, I tried to add running to my workout routine. After three minutes, I didn’t like it. My sides hurt and I couldn’t catch my breath. I dropped it!

In all seriousness, I didn’t give it time to see the results. And without seeing results, I didn’t even allow for evaluation. It reminds me of a strategy I heard on a podcast: S P E E D.

S – Success. What does it look like? How will you know when you have succeeded? Although I’d like to lose some weight and get in shape, I still don’t know that I have any idea what that success will look like.

P – People. Who do you need around you to be successful? In my case, maybe a coach or a friend to encourage me to keep running would have been helpful. Maybe, it’s yourself or a team of friends, family, and accountability partners?

E – Experiment. Try, well … try anything! Doing something is always better than not doing anything. Set in motion. Motivation comes from action – not the other way around! For the record, I did try an experiment with running!

E – Evaluate. What worked for you? What’s not working for you? What else could you experiment with? As you saw, my one-day evaluation was “nope, running’s not for me!”

D - … argh! For the life of me, I can’t remember what D stands for! Deploy? Develop? Demonstrate? Drive? (If you are familiar with this strategy – drop a note below – What does D stand for?!)

I think what’s missing or that I haven’t talked about would be a T. Time. Give yourself time in the experiment phase. My friend from above recommends 90 days. Try something for 90 days and then evaluate. Unless it makes your sides hurt, and you become short of breath. Then you can evaluate sooner!

What’s something new you’re looking to try? What’s your success going to look like? Do you need a coach? An encourager or inspirer? Someone to help you hold yourself accountable? Schedule a complimentary coaching call here.