Studies have found that those most successful at following through can actually FEEL consequences. People with great follow through also tend to worry or feel anxious. These people seem to have a more intimate connection to the feelings associated with negative outcomes and therefore will be more likely to avoid them. I'm not suggesting you should believe the sky is falling, but I am suggesting you create a motivation that you can literally feel - good or bad.

For example, I previously shared that I have to shred a $20 bill if I don't complete the sometimes unpleasant "tasks" I commit to do weekly with my accountability partner. This works well for me because visualizing $20 being shred is something I can physically feel. I get a sense that an invisible force is pushing on my gut when I think about shredding $20--an uncomfortable feeling I want to avoid, so I always make my commitment.

If you apply this technique to the things you want to accomplish, these feelings can help propel you to take action. What will do it for you? Will $20 work or do you need $100 or more? Maybe it's something else such as having to scrub your brother's toilet or washing everyone's dishes in the office break room for a week.

Some people respond better to positive rewards. Would the promise of an hour-long massage entice you into action? Perhaps treating yourself to a great dinner would work. Whatever you choose, just remember you have to feel the consequence of following through or not in order for this to work. Then of course, you actually have to commit to paying the price (maybe literally) if you don't follow through on your intention.

Be creative and come up with something you can really feel -- positive or negative, and then inspire others by sharing your ideas with us on our blog.

Many thanks to Steve Levinson, Ph.D., and Pete Greider, M.Ed., authors of Following Through for writing an amazing book and allowing me to share this information.

Have you attended a great workshop or conference where you took copious notes knowing that what you were learning would revolutionize the way you currently do something? You just knew if you implemented this new technique your sales would soar. Or if you implemented the tickler file system you learned, your whole workday would be more productive and less stressful.

We have such high hopes of implementing new concepts; however, once we return to the reality of our daily lives, we seem to lose the enthusiasm that originally propelled us to think we could conquer the world. So, what happens?

Most likely, once you returned to the office, your focus got diverted to whatever was currently happening around you. You realized you had reports to file, meetings to attend, or calls to make. You put your brilliant new idea on a back burner where it lost all its "heat." This happens because the human brain is a very distractible organ, made even more distractible by our modern, over-stimulated lifestyles. 

However, this lack of focus can be overcome by a technique called Spotlighting, which draws our attention to our intentions. Spotlighting is achieved by means of a cueing device such as a "magic pebble," a kitchen timer, an image of your goal, etc. When you see or hear the "cue," your attention shifts to what it is you intend to do.

For example, to implement a new sales strategy that will double your income and help you afford the vacation of a lifetime, put pictures of your dream destination on your desk, office door, bathroom mirror--anywhere that would continually bring your intention to your attention. Because it is now at the forefront of your mind, you will be more likely to shift your behaviors in accordance with your intention.

Remember, developing a new habit requires undivided attention - that's more important than how long we do it (i.e., 21 days to a new habit). Practice the Spotlighting technique and see where it takes you - maybe Bora Bora?

(If you like gadgets, you'll love the ultimate cueing device - the MotivAider. It's like a personal accountability partner that automatically reminds you of your intention.  I know firsthand how well it works; it helped improve my slouchy computer posture!)

*From Following Through by Steve Levinson, Ph.D. and Pete Greider, M.Ed.

Are You Feelin’ the Pain?

Did you resolve to start, stop, or do something differently in the new year? Did you vow that 2010 would be the year you quit smoking, lost weight, spent more time with the kids, made more sales calls, left the office on time, took a vacation, etc.?

How’s that working out for you? If you’re like most people, you began the new year with the best of intentions, and then by early February (or for some, the second week of January) those good intentions vanished.  What happened to them?

Well, the good news, according to the book Following Through by Steve Levinson, Ph.D. and Pete Greider, M.Ed., is that it’s not your fault! They propose that the human species wasn’t designed for following through on intentions. Our brains are marvels at many things, but always doing what we know we should do is not one of them. In fact, squirrels are better at follow through than we humans are.

Here’s more good news -- you can do something about it! You just have to find ways to outsmart yourself.

One technique is to make the “pain” of not following through greater than the “pain” of taking action. For example, every couple weeks for the past two years, I have an hour phone conversation with my accountability partner, Donna. During the call we report in about the tasks we said we would complete from the last call. Because Donna and I are friends, it would often be easy for me to confess that I didn’t make my goals. Her response was, “That’s ok--just do it by the next call.” Because there wasn’t a great amount of “pain” attached to not following through, I didn’t have any hard core reason to always do what I said I would. However, last September that all changed.

I now have a $20 bill hanging on a wall by my desk. On the bill there’s a sticky note that reads “SHRED?”. On another sticky note are the tasks I promised Donna I would complete by our next call. Every time I look at my $20 bill, I’m reminded of two things. One, all the tasks I need to complete; and two, I will have to shred $20 while Donna listens, if I don’t complete those tasks by our next call.

Now, the thought of shredding money makes me cringe. So the idea of shredding the $20 bill causes me more “pain” than actually having to follow through on the tasks I promised Donna I would complete. I’ve been living by this model for six months, and I’m proud to report I’ve never had to shred my $20. I never intend to either.

So, where can you “bring on the pain”? What are some ways you can get yourself to follow through on those resolutions? Be creative – you know what works best for you. Come up with a plan, find someone to hold you accountable, and then run with it. You will be amazed at the changes you can achieve by learning simple tricks to help you follow through.