A new survey of 1,000 Americans shows that 98 percent of people who try to change a bad habit fail; begging the question: What in the heck do the other 2 percent know and do differently?
There are literally thousands of books on success claiming the latest on how to quit this or how to start doing that. I think author, David Maxfield may be onto something better. Maxfield describes six motivating strategies to make change happen. He contends that it is not the strategies in-and-of themselves that make the difference, it is how many of the strategies you choose to employ at one time. The more strategies, the more successful the odds of changing the behavior-makes sense to me!
David writes about the strategies in his New York Times best seller, Influence: The Power To Change Anything:
- Personal Motivation-Overcome reluctance and resistance
- Personal Ability – Learning to master necessary skills for success
- Social Motivation-Enlist help from others
- Social Ability-Teamwork
- Structural Motivation-Reward yourself early
- Structural Ability- Surround yourself w/supportive physical environments
I have had a chance to examine these "sources of influence" in a very personal way. I have been in the "98% group" for most of my life when it came to health and fitness. I can now proudly say that I am a "two percenter". I attained a long held goal of mine last fall, when I completed my first half-marathon. I have stay committed to running, and I am training for race number two!
Maxfied would claim that my success can be attributed to these six strategies which he refers to as vital behaviors, and I would concur. But, I could not and would not have been successful without my vital friends and running partners, Jocelyn and Shannon. Success for me came through the power of the team, or in Maxfield’s words, social motivation. It is what has keep my feet moving (literally and figuratively). Our running story was highlighted in the Des Moines Register today, and I hope that it inspires others to find their own team.
My mantra in work and life has always been: Together we are smarter. That can and should be expanded to: Together we are smarter, stronger and more successful! So, who is on your team?
