"What gets measured gets done!"
A great question and now after about thirteen years of tracking important behaviors/habits Martin shares that it's almost impossible to imagine achieving any goal without tracking those behaviors/habits that align with his goals.
Martin sets the table be recounting how and where tracking first entered and influenced most of our lives; school! The teacher tracked our attendance and our grades. Why? So we would know (in real time) whether we were progressing or not. Then he touches on a quick anecdote about a great camp director on Catalina who used to warn that kids that the counselors were tracking their BMs (seriously).
Then Martin shares how tracking behaviors or habits is time-tested and proven process to achieve goals and once again cites and refers listeners to a prior, "Be Like Ben" Mind Bullet Monday episode #11!
So, if you haven't experienced and dedicated yourself to tracking (for a period of 28 days) please check out the P.A.R.R. methodology for habit development that underscores the importance and the best way to track.
Here's a quick/short video to illustrate!
To further illustrate the importance, consider watching a basketball game where there was no scoreboard. How would you feel about that? How would the players feel? How focused would the players be? How committed to winning would the players be? Could you tell who was winning or losing?
Absurd, right?
Yet, we dare go through our lives NOT tracking what is important to us? Do you know if you're winning or losing? How committed to the outcome can you really be? As though, a basketball, football or pick your sport is more important than your own goals and ambitions!
Martin further shares that nobody, ever, has emailed or commented to him to say that P.A.R.R. doesn't work. That is because the only way it doesn't work is if the person doesn't follow through.
Once they Plan, Act, Record and Reassess they begin to develop the essential habits that will lead them to their goal!
To wrap things up Martin shares that perhaps the greatest tracker and goal achiever he knows is a man named Jack Daly — a friend and mentor. (http://www.jackdaly.net) And, how Jack is a tremendous inspiration who shares his quarterly tracking stats that include things like; bicycle miles per month, wine drinking days, nights at home, nights on the road (for work), miles run, miles flown, etc.
This is a can't miss FAF episode if you've ever wondered about the significance of tracking your behaviors and to inspire you to start TODAY in order to help you reach your most important goals!
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Resources
S02-Frequently Asked Friday 20: Why Is Tracking Important?