While shooting a basketball, there needs to be a proper follow through movement of the hand. The hand must flex forward at the same speed, position and angle after releasing the ball. If your shot does not have follow through it means your hand slowed down when you were just about to release the ball. This will slow down the ball too, and you may not score any points.
That’s exactly how follow through works in life. All commitments have to be followed through with action, otherwise you won’t score.
There are commitments we make to others and commitments we make to ourselves. Interestingly, people who follow through on commitments to their own selves will also follow through on commitments to others.
Not following through on commitments to others has the added disadvantage of losing credibility and trust. Which is why a common technique to push us towards our commitment is to make a public commitment (letting it be known to significant others). The fear of losing face may help us stay focussed.
Follow through is the cornerstone of grit
The first thing that stops us from following through is making commitments without developing clarity about what we really want, the scope of the task, project, how much time, effort and energy will be needed to follow-through?
Spend time on thinking and gathering information on what the commitment demands from you, what could be the obstacles in the way, how can they be overcome, and then make a decision to commit or not.
Then there is forgetfulness
We often forget things that need to be done. Maintain a to-do-list and calendar reminders – digital or physical, whatever works for you. Go through it every night before sleeping or first thing in the morning. Do not rely on memory.
The hustle and chaos of everyday life makes us forget things
Also, memory consumes energy. This energy can be released for work if you create a reliable system of to-do lists, reminders and a habit of going through them everyday. If you do this, you won’t get into the state of “Am I forgetting something?” and the panic associated with it. You will feel calm that everything that needs to be done is on your to-do list and reminders. So you can peacefully continue your work.
Take small steps
When we make a new goal, we are all charged up and excited to accomplish it. In that flush of energy we make very large commitments.
For e.g, someone who wants to start exercising says that he will exercise for an hour everyday. An hour of exercise everyday for a person who has not been exercising is a massive goal. He’s likely to get tired within 3-4 days, have muscle soreness which needs some days of rest. Or he could even damage his muscles and ligaments getting into more trouble. This can demotivate him and reduce his confidence.
It is crucial to maintain high levels of motivation while pursuing a goal. Probably, a better way to get started could be 30 minutes of exercise every day or every alternate day. It is doable, and the progress is sustainable.
Start with a small step which you know you can do, and sustain over time comfortably. Sustainability is key here.
Small steps give you the quick wins you need to bolster your confidence and stay on track. Then as you progress you can take sustainably larger steps till you are victorious.
Self Reflection
- Identify one thing that you are not doing now, but if you did, it would give you a huge increase in success / happiness / fulfilment / self-esteem?
- What is stopping you from doing it? How will you overcome the obstacle?
- What is the smallest, easiest and sustainable step that you can make a start with?
Follow me on Linkedin for insightful content on self-development, leadership, anything and everything that makes us and our lives better. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gulshanwalia/
Photo by Tom Briskey on Unsplash
References
https://www.fastcompany.com/3025075/5-steps-to-help-you-follow-through-on-everything
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Time Management by Brian Tracy
Gulshan Walia Blog 