Keep Score for Success

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #21

I am so thankful today that this success principle is a simple one. The degree of change I have been experiencing feels as if I am hurtling through deep space at the speed of light. I need a day to just drift a little.

People who suffer from PTSD can have setbacks when they push themselves too hard. Joe gave his yoga mat a sharp shake yesterday morning, and I nearly had heart failure when the mat snapped loudly against the floor. I know that when I begin having exaggerated startle responses like this that I need to slow down.

In this lesson, Jack talks about the importance of keeping track of our successes. He gives an example of a boy playing basketball. The father created a scorecard to track every instance of success on the court. Most coaches only track points made and rebounds. This father tracked points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, and more. The boy became so excited about seeing where he was improving that he became a much better player, without the usual harsh criticism of the coach.

One of my goals is to weigh 137 pounds. I've been recording my weight daily for almost a year. I can look back and see where I started and where I am today. It has been helpful, but for the past couple of months, I've been stuck at about 142 pounds.

I now realize that I could have reached my goal more quickly if I had tracked more than my weight. I should have been recording the number of days that I: practiced yoga for 30 minutes, walked for 30 minutes, kept my carb count below 60, and drank 90 ounces of water. Just because I didn't lose weight every day doesn't mean that I wasn't getting healthier. Feeling successful in a variety of ways would have inspired me to keep trying when the scale didn't register success.

Today's Challenge
Choose one goal and create a scorecard for it. Design a chart with measurable successes related to that goal across the top. For each day this month, note your successes. Let me know if this helps you reach your goal more quickly.


Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com