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The Excellence Decision
“Excellence is not a single act, it’s a habit.” ~ Aristotle
It was Memorial Day, a day when most people were out on the beach enjoying barbecues, beers, and a well-deserved rest.
For better or worse, I’d started tracking “running” again to foster the habit. So, for me, it was just like any other Monday, and it happened to be a “Target Day.”* (see P.A.R.R. below).
The four-mile run began with immediate regret. Mile one was painful; legs felt like lead.
By mile two, the run became a brutal slog and it was getting warm outside with a strong headwind.
As mile three approached, the temptation to quit was overwhelming.
“Three miles is more than enough,” I told myself. My inner narrative continued, “After all, it’s a holiday. Why not take it easy like everyone else?”
Just as my pace slowed to a crawl, a strange question popped into mind:
“What if I were excellent?”
It was an odd thought, but it sparked something.
“How would I finish this run if I were excellent?”
Suddenly, there was a surge of energy as I imagined how an excellent runner would finish.
I knew that an excellent runner would push through the pain, embrace the challenge, and finish strong.
With that thought, my pace quickened, fatigue evaporated and I completed mile four with a burst of energy - it was the fastest mile of the day.
The experience taught a valuable lesson: excellence - let alone any betterment - really begins with a decision.
Long before excellence becomes a habit, it’s a conscious choice.
It’s precisely what the P.A.R.R. habit-building methodology represents (Plan, Act, Record & Reassess); choosing/deciding which habits to cultivate and align to your goals.
P.A.R.R. is a process for intentional habit development that leverages your innate human capacities of choice, intention and reflection; human abilities that the famed “habit loop” C.R.R. cannot account for.
After all, it’s your decisions that trigger either positive feelings and emotions or negative ones and, typically the associated behaviors will follow.👇
This is precisely what the “Three Circles of Behavior Echo-System” / Grunburg Behavior model teaches. 👇
It’s the pursuit of betterment - your version of excellence - that begins with a decision.
GOOD HABITS HAPPEN WHEN PLANNED;
BAD HABITS HAPPEN ON THEIR OWN.
Learn more about the world’s most advanced and modern behavior model 👇
The Three Circles of Behavior Echo-System is the first of its kind behavior model to demonstrate how energy and information are transferred and flow - vibrate and reverberate, to alter one’s behaviors.
This reverberation results in a perpetual “behavior echo-system.”
To be clear, this is not an eco-system. It’s an ECHO SYSTEM - as in, reverberate; it’s a system of component parts that influence one’s behaviors, habits and skills.
Everyone lives within their own perpetual behavior echo-system.
While you can share an environment with someone, you cannot share your behavior echo-system with anyone; your experiences, (stored stories), and perceptions are unique.
BONUS: How to Intentionally develop habits and skills ON DEMAND.
THIS IS HOW TO INTENTIONALLY CULTIVATE ANY NEW HABIT OR SKILL AT WILL
Follow P.A.R.R., PLAN, ACT, RECORD & REASSESS - the habit development framework first published in The Habit Factor® (2010).
PARR provides a repeatable, predictable and practical roadmap for transforming fleeting good intentions into ingrained habits and skills.
**Plan, Act, Record, Reassess**
The PLAN begins with identifying “Target Days” and “Minimum Success Criteria.” (learn more here)
**ACT** upon your plan bridges the gap between intention and action/behavior!
**RECORD** your experiences (Habit Tracking) allows for self-efficacy, introspection and reinforces your intention.
Finally, **REASSESS** your actions/behaviors against your plan allows you to assess your progress and even “raise the bar” for your next 28-day habit tracking period. Following PARR is a proven way to increase Habitstrength™.
By repeating the P.A.R.R. habit tracking process for successive 28-Day tracking periods, the automaticity and habitstrength™ of any habit or skill increases.
Through this iterative, intentional practice approach - any virtue, habit and/or skill can be developed by following P.A.R.R.
Aloha my friend! 🤙
The link to the tracking sheet is here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templates
Additional:
Download the free habits-to-goals tracking template to cultivate the habits that support your goals here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templates.
Books that may help "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale and "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.
MG’s Books: EVERYTHING is a F*cking Story, The Pressure Paradox™ & The Habit Factor®
Check out the latest cohort offering; the waitlist is now open: The 28-Day Breakthrough!
*Recently Awarded: “Finalist: Self-help, Motivation”
International Book Awards: EVERYTHING is a F*cking STORY.
Visit https://thehabitfactor.com/templates
To learn more about P.A.R.R., just Google “P.A.R.R. and The Habit Factor.”
Get The Habit Factor® FREE with your audible trial! https://audibletrial.com/habits2goals
Feedspot’s “Top 10 Habit Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021”
New listeners, grab your free habits 2 goals tracking template here: https://thehabitfactor.com/templates
FREE copy of As a Man Thinketh (PDF) right here: As a Man Thinketh
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