When I was working and coaching people on yearly business planning, it was so daunting to look at a 12-month plan and even more daunting to imagine sticking to it. People would get excited about the project, and at the same time, they wanted to give up because imagining the result in 365 days was overwhelming.
One of my mentors shared with me the “90-Hustle”. That was a game changer for me and for those I worked with.
Instead of working on an overwhelming 12-month plan, we’d work in a short 90-day window. I believe most people can stay focused for 90 days. The formula below will help you create whatever you want with less stress, more focus, and tremendous success.
#1: Bulletproof Clarity
Clarity is the engine that drives success.
The way you get this clarity is to hardwire this into your nervous system and write your goal in the present tense as it has already been accomplished 90 days from now. I urge you to push yourself but also recognize what is possible and stay within practicality. None of us will become Paul McCartney, Tom Brady, or Picasso in 90 days… However, we can be the superheroes of our daily lives… no problem!
The hardest part is distilling this to your top 1-3 most important outcomes and objectives. For example, over 90% of the people I coached could not articulate their 90-day goal with any clarity. And when I can get them to do that, it is game on.
#2: Commitment to Action
Now that you have your “goal” or the crystal-clear outcome, we should only obsess about what actions need to happen every day for the next 90 days for that outcome to come true. The effort needs to be (1) attainable: you should have the capability to do it and (2) accountable: meaning you should be able to say a clear yes/no on whether you did it. That’s it. Let’s not overcomplicate our lives.
Action drives momentum. Momentum drives results.
#3: Streaks of Accountability
For some reason, people have an internal struggle with accountability. Meaning, we want it because we know it works. We also don’t want it because it’s psychologically draining (the daily reporting and mental beating of not following through). However, let’s do it for 90 days. Let’s build a 90-day accountability streak where you have an accountability partner. It’s someone you need to report results to daily. Professional accountability is the best because when you pay someone, you pay attention since there’s skin in the game. There’s pain associated with parting with money…there’s a little bit more commitment.
We’ll whine. We’ll complain. We’ll give all sorts of excuses why we didn’t do what we said we will. One reason for this is that the goal isn’t significant enough. If you don’t accomplish it, who cares. But we’re doing this in baby steps, and if we need to do just one thing daily, that’s perfect. Overwhelming can kill goals. Give that some thought.
Commit to your 90-day accountability streak.
#4: Ruthless Daily Debrief
Can you be brutally honest with yourself daily… before you go to bed at night, can you give yourself an honest evaluation of whether you did what you were supposed to do without a story?
Remember, there is no A for effort in the 90-day Hustle. You either did the work, or you didn’t. That’s it. Keep it that simple because action drives momentum, and momentum drives results.
There is no judgment.
There is no ego.
There are no excuses.
You don’t get a cookie.
There are only results.
The sooner you fall in love with results, the faster your life will change.
Everyone dodges the self-review… but that is the most fantastic part. When you can do it, your life changes instantly. You correct your course immediately. You change your life just by choosing higher standards for yourself.
#5: Singularity of Focus
When you embark on the 90-day Hustle… nothing is more important because you have chosen a path to greatness. It’s not a cleanse you can stop mid-way. It is not a juice fast. There is no cheat day. It is a 90-day push toward massive transformation.
While the rest of the world gets distracted on their social media feed, gets FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) looking at someone else’s life, or binge-watches their favorite Netflix show, you are showing yourself and the world that transformation is possible in 90 days… and that you care about nothing else. As easy as this may sound, it’s hard to wrap your head around being this focused.
Your focus is only this. Your priority is only this. Your commitment is only this. You are breathing, eating, sleeping, only this… because you want this so bad. You want to create this bigger and better future for yourself so much that everything else is irrelevant. Welcome to your singularity of focus.
And that, my friends, is the 90-day Hustle Formula. How about applying it to your determination to avoid “old age” decline? Yes, you can do it. It works if you do.
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