Karate- Sticking to it

I am reading a book right now called Small Move, Big Change by Caroline Arnold.  I highly recommend it if you are looking to make a change in your life.  The book focuses on a concept called micro-resolutions.  I won’t summarize everything in the book but the general idea is that people fail to reach goals because they focus on “being” not “doing.”  I want to be in shape, I want to be more organized, etc.  These goals focus on the end result.  Often times, we almost expect to fail.  That’s why many people have the same goals each year come New Years Eve.  The idea of a micro-resolution is to come up with a goal so simple and small that you can’t help but keep it.  Over time, these simple actions will re-set the autopilot that controls your actions.

For example, I love my kitchen.  There is a nice big counter and there is one 2 foot section next to our stove.  This little section becomes a dumping ground.  Mail, phone chargers, sippy cups, etc.  No matter how many times we’ve cleaned it, the space still gets cluttered over and over.  Here is where I implemented my first micro-resolution.  Instead of saying I wanted to keep my whole kitchen clean, I resolved to keep that section clean.  After about a month, that section is clean.  I can’t say the rest of the kitchen is clean but that one spot is.

At the Academy, we focus on a similar process.  When trying to accomplish a goal, take the first step and make it so easy you can’t help but succeed.