Closing a "Knowing - Doing" Gap

This morning I was up early as I usually try to be so I can engage in my morning routine. This routine consists of reading, journaling and usually some sort of exercise. This morning however there was a little more anticipation. It was weight check-in day, or at least the offical day where I record whatever is on the scale to help monitor my progress towards a weight goal I am working towards.

As I slid out of bed there was greater anticipation this week as I felt I had a great week and was hoping the scale would reflect that. I also tried to tell myself that no matter what the scale said, there is a lot to celebrate this week regardless. As I stepped on the scale and the numbers began to flash, I.....

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Last Sunday I thought I should try something different and more intentional. I had used a journal on and off to track my goals and progress some times more consistently than others. After watching a webcast, I decided to try something different. I recorded my overall goal on a notecard. I then thought about some targets for April that I would like to hit and put those on a notecard. From there I thought about what some weekly targets would be and you know where I wrote them down at? Yep, on a notecard. The last piece to the puzzle was each monrning, I was going to engage in a daily goal setting and reflection practice. 

Why the notecards? What stood out to me in the webcast was that I could more easily carry and pull out the notecards to reflect on. So I carried the note cards with me to work everyday. At lunch I pulled them out and reviewed them to keep my goals in front of me. At night I was able to reflect back on my daily goals as well as my overall goals. Again, to keep them in front of me. 

There were times during the week that those cards or at least having my goals in the forefront of my mind helped me to make better decisions. When I was about to talk myself out exercising, I remembered how good it feels to check it off the notecard and the guilt I could feel not being able to check it off. When I would go to grab that extra piece of pizza or think of having more of something, I remembered my calorie goal and asked if the extra was more important or reaching my overall goal was more important. 

As I stepped on the scale and the numbers began to flash, I waited almost impatiently, it literally takes like 3 seconds for the scale to begin flashing the number. When the number appeared, I was pleased to be validated on what I thought. That by focusing each day on a set of goals and intentionally working on them, that I would be rewarded. When I went to record my weight on my weekly tracker, it showed I was done 2.4 pounds. 

Cue the music...

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I am pleased with the number on the scale however that is not the big win or take away for me. The big win is that I was able to implement something and see the fruits of my labor. I knew what I had hoped to accomplish (knowing) and was able to create a plan to help get it done (doing). By being intentional on how I approached each day in regards to my goal, for this week at least, I was able to close my "Knowing - Doing" gap.

Hope this serves some value for you. If you would like to know more about my morning routine or more information about the note card system I am trying out, please message me or leave a comment. Happy to share more of my experiences. 

I am always curious how others approach work towards meeting their goals, love to hear from you. Leave a comment below so I can continue to add to my tool kit! Best of luck to you all on your journey.

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