Why 68% Is Actually Elite Performance [WRAP 201]
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Hey Reader, I flipped back through my bullet journal this weekend and saw all the blank spaces. I gotta be honest, my first thought was "Man, I'm already falling behind." Then I actually counted... 11 entries out of 16 possible days. That's 68%. Before I counted, I was focused entirely on the 5 blank pages. They felt like proof I wasn't consistent. But 11 days? That's more than I've journaled in other months and way more than the 0 days I'd have if I'd given up. 💡 One Big Idea: 68% Is Elite PerformanceLast week my son started his winter flag football league. He's started playing some QB and gets upset whenever he throws an incompletion. But then I showed him the stat leaders—that even the best "only" complete 65-70%. Nobody expects perfection... what makes a person elite is above-average consistency over a long period of time. I told him that where you put your attention determines whether you keep going or quit. If I focus on the 5 misses, I feel like a failure, but if I focus on the 11 wins, I feel like someone building a habit. Both are true, but only one keeps me motivated to open the notebook again tomorrow. This isn't permission to coast or not give your best effort. Dan Koe posted something recently about being harder on yourself. He's right. You need to become fed up enough with where you are to actually change, because nobody else is going to do it for you. But here's the balance: be ruthless about your vision and patient with your wins. Dan and I have different lives and commitments. But I can appreciate his message that you have to be clear about who you want to become. For me there's no question about if I'll get there, only when. The timeline is where I give myself a break. Most weeks I work about 35 hours instead of 40-45 or even 50. If I worked more, I'd make faster professional progress. But it wouldn't align with the husband and father I want to be. That doesn't mean I'm settling but it does change how I view the progress I'm making towards my goal. My encouragement to you today is to take a look at your goals, habits, new year's resolutions, and actually count what you did. Write it down and let it surprise you. Because 68% effort sustained over 52 weeks will crush 100% effort for 2 weeks and then quitting. You're doing better than you think, ok? 📹 Video to Watch: Put Your Habits On Easy ModeThere are simpler ways to start or stick with the goals and habits you have set out for the year. To continue with the football metaphor, it's easier to throw a short pass than a long one—higher chance of completion. The point is that you start with smaller, more achievable habits to build confidence and momentum. It's like one-line-a-day journaling before you start doing two morning pages each day. Or going for a one mile walk before a three mile run. The vision is non-negotiable, but the timeline and your progress can vary—but you have to keep your "completion percentage" high. This will help. 📚 Article to Read: How to Fix Your Entire Life in One DayI referenced it above, but Dan Koe wrote a mega-viral (122 million views!!!) X article last week about how to fix your entire life in one day. Now, that's a great internet hype title, there is a lot of practical advice about paying attention to your goals, fears, motivations, and habits. Since I talk a lot about journaling on this newsletter and my YouTube channel, I thought these daily prompts were helpful for staying on track through the day...
Remember, if you answer these questions honestly, you might (probably?) be a bit fed up with your results. But it should be motivation enough to start action in the direction of the person you want to be. And remember, 68% is elite 🏈 Have a great weekend, Matt "hit the open man" Ragland |