Be Realistic (Here's How)

Never take numbers at face value. People toss around all sorts of numbers to describe and justify their beliefs, and many of them are less reliable than the three-year-old kid next door.

There was a time in my career when I traveled around the world leading training programs for leaders who wanted to supercharge their company's growth. I was teaching these executives how to use new technologies to better serve customers and thus increase revenues.

During the first hour of each program, I would ask leaders to summarize their company's current status... to what degree did they use advanced techniques to serve customers? Typically, they would list some amazing services they were delivering to customers. But something was wrong. The numbers just didn't add up, and always seemed to paint a more impressive picture than was actually the case.

It didn't take me long to figure out the next question to ask. It was, "What percentage of the time do you act that way?"

"5%"

"10%, at best. Maybe 7%"

This, I have come to realize, is the question almost everyone fails to ask ourselves: what percentage of the time do I do this?

You say you exercise four times a week? What percentage of the last 52 weeks have you actually exercised four times? (30%?)

You say you never snack or eat dessert? What percentage of the days during the past year have you skipped snacks and dessert? (42%?)

What percentage of the time do you...

• Smile when you see colleagues
• Tell your kids you love them
• Eat fresh foods with very few ingredients
• Show respect to other people
• Practice healthy self-awareness
• Control your temper
• Do your very best

Most of us will be surprised by actual reality versus the impressions we carry around in our head. And, of course, the best way to understand reality is to keep actual records of your behaviors and actions... write down every time you exercise... write down what you eat... write down how you spent your day.

There's just one problem with my last statement: the percentage of the time you write all your performance data into your journal. (19%)

Be realistic. Separate reality from fiction.

P.S. The good news is that calendars offer a pretty reliable way to track how we spend our time. Most of us are bad with journals but pretty consistent with using calendars to track our obligations.

I am a social media ghostwriter for expansive professionals committed to leading their best possible life.

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