Consistency is hard.

Especially when you are a perfectionist.

I’ve learned that while I am a pretty laid back guy, I’m a ultra-perfectionist when it comes to getting stuff done.  The hard thing is I work against myself by setting ultra-expectations.  Doing a good job isn’t always good enough.  I expect perfection from myself and from others, but I fool myself into believing that I’ll settle for a “good job”  Unfortunately, my idea of 80% is everyone else’s 100%.

That is why when it comes to setting long-term goals, you have to set goals that are realistic even if the completion of them doesn’t seem to bring you closer to your goal, but you know it will.  You consistently reach for that 80%…because consistently striving for 100% is setting yourself up for failure.  In the long run, you’re going to miss.  You’re going to have off days.  Failing to hit that 100% a few times in a row is almost always enough to derail you from your long term goal.

This principal is crucial when it comes to winning in just about anything that is a long range game.  Look at any pro sports team.  Any successful business.  Any successful non-profit or church.  A business or non-profit whose employees blows their goals out of the water one month but tanks the next will not be viable in the long run.  A church who has a stellar children’s ministry this month but doesn’t change a stinky diaper next month will not find people not returning.  Teams who don’t play a good game consistently don’t find themselves bringing home trophies.

For me, I’m apply this principal to all aspects of my life.  While I’m a perfectionist, I also believe that I’ve been pretty successful in the long run.  That being said, I know that I need to set goals for getting healthy that are realistic.  That means that I am going to have days where I don’t work out.  Where I don’t stick to my diet.

We have to incorporate grace into our goal setting – that is the 20% between the 80 and 100.  It’s that 20% that prevents discouragement, allows for mistakes, but keeps us in the game.

It’s in that 80% where we have to build disciplines or habits that help us maintain our performance and keep us on track for hitting our goals.  Sometimes it makes sense for us to set goals on habits, rather than results.  See, results are simply a bi-product of the habits we hold.  You should tweet that.

When I worked as a bill collector, my quota was $1,000 per day but that was was never my personal goal.  My personal goal was to connect with at least 25 consumers.  I found that if I connected with less than 25, I wouldn’t hit my quota.  When I connected with more than 25 consumers, I exceeded my quota.  The amount I collected was a result of the habits I held.

As a pastor, I’m responsible for caring for people.  That’s pretty hard to quantify!  Nonetheless, I still believe the 80% rule applies here as well.  So I set goals for myself.  I connect with my volunteers every other week, in some way.  I reach out to people in our congregation just to touch base.  I send texts telling them I’m praying for them and their families.  I set a number, and I strive to hit that number.  I’ve found that God blesses it and amazing things happen through those efforts.

With my weight loss goals, I don’t weigh myself every day!  My goal is NOT the number on the scale.  While my weight is the number I’m trying to influence, I set my goal on the behaviors or habits that will get me there.  My goal is 5 days of ketosis in a row.  I can’t directly influence what that scale says, but I CAN influence what I put in my face.  Once I’ve hit my 5 days, I allow myself to stray from my plan a little.

Does that work?  I’ve lost almost 15 pounds since I started.  My blood pressure is consistently lower than it was a month ago.  My pants don’t fit right and my belt fits tighter than it has in years.  Yeah, it works.

For me, if I set my goal as my weight I’d be on the scale every morning.  Shoot…I’d probably be on there several times a day!  And after a few days, I’d be pretty discouraged when the needle doesn’t move.  I wouldn’t feel like I was winning, so I’d be less disciplined which would trickle down into my long term results.

So, yeah.  Consistency can be hard, and it’s harder when you set bad goals.  What are some goals you need to adjust in your life or business so that you can start gaining on your goals?