Rachel is not more disciplined than you

Four weeks ago, Rachel wanted to lose ten pounds. She now knows who she wants to become and the emotions she wants to feel. She has data-driven action steps she is tracking, has redesigned her food environment, and has committed to where and when she will eat the foods she puts on her IDEAL Goals Habit Tracker.

One letter is left.

Leveraged means you stop leaning on discipline and start using tools. I describe the tools here.

Rachel knows her own pattern. When things get hard, she goes quiet, tells nobody, and stops. So, she picked a tool built for that. She called a friend who also wanted to shift to a more plant-based diet, and they agreed to send each other a photo of their tracker every Sunday night.

Then she did the part almost nobody does. She put the check-in on her calendar, every Sunday at 8:00 p.m., so she doesn’t have to remember.

There are many tools available under the IDEAL Goals framework. If one doesn’t work for you, move on to the next.

When you do not perform a daily action step, it is always because of one of three things: (1) overly difficult action steps, (2) failure to appropriately plan, or (3) insufficient commitment. Notice that lack of self-discipline is not a real reason.

Rachel is going to accomplish her goals because she is following a proven structure, not because of her willpower.

Want to see how all five parts of IDEAL Goals fit together? Watch the 45-second video.