Back when I was overweight and unfit, I asked a friend how to lose weight?
He said, go for a run every day. Or hit the gym three times a week. MWF (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
I got excited, and I went and joined the gym. And you know what happened next?
I didn‘t hit the gym for the next 12 months. 12 months later I was more unfit. I had increased in weight and lost all my self-esteem.
Why did all this happen?
In general, we end up following these “tactics” to lose weight or to achieve anything, But not plan it properly. In other words, we don‘t take a step back and see things from a bird‘s eye view.
A famous saying says that a ship without a destination goes nowhere.
So, even though you do all those crunches, and the sit-ups one or two days, if you don‘t have a strategic plan; and or not following the plan it‘s a sure fire way to fail.
Following tactics will give us a sense of accomplishment. (“Yes! I’ve taken one step” says your brain)
Research shows that when people buy something that is going to solve their problems, there is an instant release of dopamine. (Dopamine is a chemical that gets released in our body, and our brain instantly feels a sense of accomplishment if that happens.)
But? Unless you have moved forward towards the goal, you haven’t achieved anything. In fact, your brain is faking your feelings with instant gratification.
Failure happens because of not strategizing the solution to the problem at hand. If you just follow tactics (e.g., hitting the gym) without a plan and a way to track the progress you aren‘t going to move forward swiftly and efficiently.
So when you need to achieve anything in life or solve any problem, take a step back and strategize the solution before you solve it. Come up with a plan and think things through holistically from a bird’s eye view (a rough sketch, a mind map, an outline).