Today’s Hattrick

Today’s Hattrick

Every day should include decisions that help you mature, evolve, and develop into the person that you are meant to be. Not the person that others want you to be, but the person you are destined to be.

A simple exercise you can use to ensure that you are progressing every day is what I call the Hattrick (the same word used when a soccer or hockey player scores three goals in a match). That is, setting three small but important, attainable but valuable, goals for your personal development, each in one of three important areas of life.

Professional/Educational

The first goal should be made in the area of your professional and/or educational life. Ask yourself, what can you do today that will result in some movement toward your ultimate goal?

Now, I am not talking about making a massive daily goal. If your ultimate goal is to have an MBA, you don’t have to set a daily goal of applying to graduate school. That is a big step. Arguably, too big of a step.

Instead, your daily goal could be to look up a few MBA programs online during your lunch break, jot a few notes down about what you found, and then return to your normally scheduled day.

If your ultimate goal is to start your own business, your daily goal does not have to be filing a business license or creating a business plan. It could, however, include looking on Udemy or iTunes U for business classes or listening to a podcast about entrepreneurial decision-making.

The point is, your daily goal does not have to be huge. It does not have to be something that literally or dramatically changes your life today. It just has to be something that nudges you in the direction you want to be moving.

Social/Emotional

When you consider the type of person you want to be, attributes within this domain tend to percolate to the top. That is, this domain is the way you and others tend to see you as a person.

Are you friendly? Are you approachable? Do you care for others? Do you care for yourself? Do you respond to others as you would like them to respond to you? Are you as good a friend as you could be? As you want to be? As others are to you?

Again, daily goals within this domain do not have to be massive. You do not have to call your therapist to get an appointment today to process your emotions. You do not have to apologize to all of those people in your life that you may have mistreated.

Instead, simple goals are the best. Set a goal to smile at people when you pass them in the halls today. Dedicate yourself to have a real conversation with someone at lunch. Tell yourself that when your significant other  (or your children) are talking to you, that you will listen more than you talk.

For some, goals within this domain may be things that you don’t do or don’t allow to happen. For example, if you have “friends” that abuse your relationship – not necessarily physically, but emotionally – you can set a goal to limit that interaction for the day. You can disallow yourself from getting pulled into that emotional vortex that drains your positive and emotional energy. Again, it does not have to be a major production. It does not have to be a permanent decision. But a small choice, at least for today, that improves your social and emotional wellbeing.

Health/Physical

Every day we should do something that improves our overall health and wellbeing. No, I am not talking about starting that new fad diet or even opening a membership to a gym. Rather, I am talking about those little things that you can do to make a difference.

If you are the type of person who eats a donut in the morning, perhaps for today, you will substitute the donut for a banana. If you are the type of person who takes the elevator from the first to the second floor, perhaps today you can take the stairs. If you are the type of person who starts the day with a Big Gulp of soda, perhaps today you can start the day with coffee (preferably black) or water.

The point is – and what you are hopefully seeing as the pattern – your daily goal does not have to be anything overwhelming. If you have to, tell yourself, “No donut today… but I will have one tomorrow.” In the very least you are developing your ability to delay gratification. On the more hopeful side, when you have a positive experience today, tomorrow you may wake up and say, “You know what, I didn’t have a donut yesterday and I made it through the day just fine. I’m going to set that as my goal again!” Wouldn’t that be an awesome start to a new healthy habit?!?

Don’t Overthink It

When I talk about the Hattrick with people, some tend to immediately feel overwhelmed. “Three goals?!? Everyday?!? I could never come up with three goals every day!”

But as we sit and discuss the point, they quickly settle in and realize that this is definitely doable. You just have to avoid over thinking it and resist the urge for major changes all at once.

When we set daily goals, we tend to get wide eyed, like… when you see your favorite dessert and get the biggest slice available, only to realize that you are already full and there is no way you can finish it without stuffing yourself beyond your limit!

OK… that was a graphic example, but you get my point.

The main issue with this is consistency. Sure, you can set and accomplish a massive goal today, but what about tomorrow, and the next day? Can you maintain that over a period of time? Probably not. Most of us cannot. We get burned out or it simply gets to the point where the goals we set are too big for one day. We then lose momentum and motivation. That is when we stop.

Daily goals should be small goals that you can accomplish at any point in the day. You do not want to set a goal that will take more than 5 minutes (excluding exercise, as that will certainly take longer).   Again, easy peasy goals that make you feel good and help you find success, while at the same time leading you in the direction you want your life to go.

So – as silly as it may sound – have fun with it. Life is meant to be enjoyable, so enjoy it while you are working on yourself. Set your goals, attain your goals, and be the person you are meant to be!