Build Momentum: Check These 4 Vital Signs

Ready, Set, Goal ... now what? 

So, you’ve set your goal, you’ve had some momentum and lost some momentum. You’re unsure if you’re on track or off track.

Have other people and priorities vied for your attention? Have your best laid plans been put on the back-burner or perhaps lost on a shelf somewhere?

Want to get back on track and avoid this conundrum in future?  Want to make your next 90 days better then your last?

Check your success vital signs!

You do this for your health, to determine how well your body is functioning.  Why not check your vital signs to indicate how well you are staying on track with your goals and priorities?

The entrepreneurs, executives and professionals whom I am privileged to coach and train, find value in learning and applying this four step process.  It's a simple yet powerful way to check the vital signs on their short-term success.  The benefit of doing so is that they can celebrate wins, identify challenges, tweak as they go, and build momentum to help themselves and their teams move forward.  They also identify tangible actions that give them the confidence and courage to tackle unexpected challenges.  Challenges that may otherwise keep them stuck.

Here’s the four vital signs. Check them at the end of each day, week, month, quarter, and year, and watch your momentum soar!

Vital Sign #1 – What did you ACCOMPLISH? 

Be brutally honest with yourself.  What did you say you would accomplish in this time period?  What did you accomplish?  What did you accomplish that you didn’t expect to?  Were your accomplishments in line with your goals and priorities?  If not, why not?

Vital Sign #2 – What CHALLENGES did you encounter? 

What challenges or obstacles got in your way of completing your priorities?  Which were self-imposed challenges?  Which were team challenges?  Which were external challenges, such as an unexpected call from a customer or an interruption from a colleague?  Which challenges caused you to lose momentum? Which ones built momentum?

Vital Sign #3 – What TWEAKS can you make? 

Whether it is a self-imposed challenge or an external challenge, you are in control of what you think, say or do about it.  By examining challenges and believing you do have control over how you manage them, you can identify small tweaks and change how you handle these challenges to improve your chances of success.  For example, did you really need to take that call while in the middle of completing your report?  What’s a tweak you can make here?

Make one new tweak each week and achieve 1% improvement in your productivity.  Do that each week, and you can experience a 52% improvement by year-end!

Vital Sign #4 – What are you GRATEFUL for today?

This simple practice can help you acknowledge and appreciate what is right in your world, no matter the challenges you face.  Expressing gratitude helps you develop a strong sense of accomplishment and renewed intention to take into the next day, week, month, or year. Gratitude is a momentum builder.

In closing, I encourage you to grab a sheet of paper and take 5 minutes at the end of your day to check your own vital signs.  After a couple of weeks doing this for yourself, share your experience with your team members.  Encourage them to check their own vital signs.  You may be surprised at the tweaks the whole team can make to build momentum!