You make new goals, but do you set new standards?

The Health Growth Letters is a weekly publication of tips, frameworks, and lessons to help you build a more balanced life based on faith, health, and wellness. If you’ve been forwarded this email you can subscribe here.

What’s on the agenda:

• Verse: Are you ready to receive a blessing?

• Lesson: why goals aren’t enough

• Workout of the Week: Birthday Triathlon

A verse I’m thinking about

Are you ready to receive new blessings?

My wife and I go to Vous Church here in Miami.

This week’s sermon was delivered by DC Wilkerson. The whole sermon is available here.

The sermon was titled “Skin Deep”. She talked about how our internal health impacts our skin, but that our skin also impacts our internal health. She correlated this with our spiritual health and how the things we come in contact with (our environment) impact our spiritual health.

But another point she made was about wineskins and I had a couple of takeaway questions for myself I thought I’d share:

1. What new wineskins do we need as a family for the next phase of life?

   What environment do I need to create for God to lead us and bless us into what He has for us next?
   
   I’ve been thinking a lot about preparation, and my ability to receive blessings. I think we often want a big break, an opportunity, or a miracle, but rarely are we ready to receive it. Think about the perfect house coming on the market and not having the down payment, or God blessing you with a spouse or children when you’re not financially responsible and prepared to provide for them.

2. What old wineskins am I trying to plug and fix to hold new wine?

   What historical blessing did I become stuck on? What am I not letting go of that is no longer good for me or is keeping me from the next good thing?
   
   I am so blessed, we all are. But I think we cling to previous blessings and comforts that keep us from being prepared to accept new, better things. Or worse, we try to fit new blessings into an old life and ruin the blessing.
   
   I think about jobs I’ve stayed at, relationships I’ve pursued because they were comfortable, and habits I’ve fallen into because they’re comfortable blessings; but what if God is calling me to give up something he has previously given me to make room for something better?

A lesson I’ve learned:
Why we need to redefine our standards

We’ve just wrapped up the first month of the year - when many individuals (myself included) set goals for the year ahead.

However, over 85% of people fail or give up on their New Year goals within the first few weeks of the year.

Why?

It’s certainly not due to a lack of desire to succeed.

I’d also argue it’s not about motivation or momentum.

I think it’s about establishing a new standard.

Why goals alone fail

Look, goals are necessary, but simply having them isn’t enough. Anyone who has made a goal and failed or given up knows that.

That’s because goals define what you want to achieve, but they don’t dictate the actions required to achieve them, or, more importantly, the person you need to be to achieve them.

We need more than a plan, we need a new standard.

When most people start a new quest or adventure toward a new goal, they build a plan or list of actions they need to take to achieve it.

They spend hours researching the right plan.

The right coach or mentor.

The right actions.

Yet, they forget to redefine the type of person they need to become to achieve those goals.

Let me give you an example:

If my goal is to lose weight, I might make a plan to do the following:

1. Get 8 hours of sleep per night

2. Walk 7,500 steps or more a day

3. Lift weights 3-4x a week

4. Eat real and healthy foods

It’s a great start, but I’m still me - the guy who snacks too often, has a drink too many, and skips workouts.

I didn’t take the time to redefine my standards and who I am as a person.

That would look like the following:

1. I’m the type of person who prioritizes sleep, I don’t give up a good night's sleep for anything

2. I am the type of person who likes to move

3. I am an athlete who trains in the gym consistently

4. I am someone who cares about my body and purposefully chooses healthy foods

Do you see the difference? One is a list of actions to take, one redefines the type of person you are.

Building SOPs (Standard Operation Procedures)

We are what we consistently do. Your paycheck is a reflection of your work ethic and the skillset you’ve built. Your physique is a reflection of how you care for your body. Your mental health is a reflection of how you care for your mind and spirit.

If things are off, or not as we desire, we need new operating procedures.

What’s a standard operating procedure?

Standard Operating Procedures are structured, step-by-step processes designed to ensure consistency and efficiency in completing tasks. They help eliminate guesswork, reduce decision fatigue, and create a reliable system for success.

Think of an SOP as a personal playbook—it defines how things should be done, so you don’t have to rely on motivation or willpower every time.

TL;DR: They’re what you do in any given situation regardless of the circumstances.

Let’s look at some examples for the weight loss goal:

SOP 1: I don’t eat after 7 pm
SOP 2: I’m the type of person who eats home-cooked meals the majority of the time
SOP3: I’m an athlete and fuel my body accordingly with healthy foods
SOP4: I’m an X athlete, and training accordingly even if I’m not that good

Do you see the difference between this and your goals?

• If you miss an action toward a goal (without a new standard) you’re just being you

• If you miss an action toward a goal, with new standards about the person you are, you are letting yourself down

It’s small but it’s a monumental shift.

Even more specifically - it defines the boundaries of who you need to be to achieve your goals.

What to Set SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for

Honestly, I like to go to an extreme with this.

I have notes in my phone that correlate with different events in our lives and I love to have standard practices.

For example, I have an SOP for whenever we have house guests over. When we do, I:

• clean the guest bathroom

• scrub the toilet

• make sure the soap is filled up

• pull out a clean towel

• take out the trash

• mop or sweep the floor

• make the bed and close the door to our bedroom

But I have them for general, everyday practices as well. My daily standard operating procedure is:

1. Wake up

2. Spend time in the Word

3. Build and create (work)

4. Exercise

5. Build and create some more

6. Commute bath

7. Spend time with my wife

8. Do something that restores me

9. Go to bed

I repeat this the majority of days, but standard operating procedures can, and should, be applied to everything.

Think of your goals for this year. What are you trying to accomplish? Now ask… what are the routines, habits, and SOPs of the type of person who achieves those goals?

• If you want to write a book: I’m a writer who spends 15 minutes a day writing

• If you want to become a creator: I’m a producer, not a consumer. I produce more than I consume

• If you want to become a better athlete: I’m an athlete who fuels his/her body with what it needs (food and workouts)

Takeaway and Action Steps:

Look, what I really want for you is to achieve everything your heart desires.

To do that, I know that you need to set a new standard for your life, your goals, and your circumstances.

I want to challenge you to think about what it is you want to achieve and really spend time to understand what the type of person who achieves that thing does or would do. Then, I want you to set the standard in your own life, hold yourself accountable to a new identity and standard, and stop trying to achieve your goals through wishful thinking and hard work.

I promise a new standard and a new identity will make it way easier for you.

Surface area of accountability

Not an awesome week. Gained weight, but hey, that’s life. We had friends in town and we went out multiple nights to celebrate. This week I’m trying to tighten things up, but it’s also my birthday, and we’re headed to NYC for dinner on Friday. YOLO.