Seven Steps To Close The Gap

By Bob Davies

Draw three separate vertical lines about one inch long. Place a 100 at the top and a 0 at the bottom of each line. Label the lines as follows; health, business and personal.

Next, rate yourself. Where are you right now in terms of results and fulfillment in your life? No one is ever a zero and no one is ever a ten. Don’t compare yourself to someone else. Instead, use as your standard where you are versus where you think you could or should be. 

I do this with all of my coaching clients. One person rated herself as a five in health, a seven in business and an eight in her personal life. Now my question is what does the next highest number look like in all three areas? Here is the formula for participating further. 

Step One: 

Have a conversation with yourself or another person about what you are committed to and what areas you are satisfied. Eliminate judgments. It’s not good or bad to be satisfied. We are looking for the truth. If you are satisfied with a rating of five in your health then acknowledge that you are. What we want to avoid is being a fraud. This means saying that you are committed to a 6 but not taking action.

The objective of step one is to identify the areas that you are committed to make progress in.

Step Two:

Before you begin to make commitments you’ll need to ask and answer these two questions. First, what are you building? Second, why bother? 

These are closely related questions that you need to have clarity about. We are a benefit and comfort seeking species so we need to be clear and specific about our reasons and our outcomes.

Step Three:

Identify what it will take to close the gap between where you are and the next level of results. You’ll need to know what activities you’ll need to accomplish to reach your goals. 

Step Four:

Identify the activities you need to do over the next seven days. You’re not committed yet. You’re still in the preparation stages.

Step Five:

Identify the activities you will do over the next seven days. Now you’re almost committed. Be careful with what you commit to because you will be held accountable to do what you say you will do.

Step Six:

Form a behavioral contract. The components of a behavioral contract are making a specific declaration of your intended activities over the next seven days and then being held accountable for the execution with a consequence for non-performance.

Step Seven:

This step is the evaluation check in. The commitment begins on Monday and is due to be completed by the time you go to sleep on Sunday. The check in can occur anytime on Monday. The check in must be with another person. The question is simply, “did you do what you said you would do?” If no, then you will need to execute the consequence for non-performance. 

The consequence needs to be something negative and uncomfortable. It can be a fine such as $100 if you don’t work out x number of days this week, or something non-monetary such as I’ll wash my neighbors car. The consequence needs to be something that will be subconsciously viewed as horrific or at the very least uncomfortable.

This type of a negative consequence will tap into the coding of human nature that compels you to avoid the most uncomfortable circumstance that you perceive. How do you avoid the negative consequence? You do this by doing what you said you would do.

Apply behavioral contracting to one area, one small action this week that you ordinarily would not have accomplished and let the law of compounded effect work for you.

Bob Davies, M.Ed. Psychology, B.S. Health, MCC Master Certified Coach 92630-5865 or 949-830-9192 Email: Info@bobdavies.com  On-Line coaching www.bobdaviescoaching.com