Leveraging Systems Before Motivation Dwindles
Leveraging Systems Before Motivation Dwindles
The intimidating undertaking of reading the Bible cover to cover was on my bucket list for a hot minute. I had many failed attempts that typically fell off somewhere around Leviticus. Then 2020 created the perfect storm of uncertainty, restlessness, and time-abundance. With a clear social calendar, I was able to redirect my energy to my aspirational goals list. I’m proud to say that I read the Bible in its entirety that year and have only missed one year since. You know what happened in 2021? Absolutely nothing. Here’s why. I decided to let motivation be my guide as I deep dove into studying the Word. I hate to admit that it wasn’t until I started to set 2022 goals that I realized my deep dive bible study was a flop. Comparing the two years helped me realize why 2020 was a milestone success and 2021 was a flop. In 2020, I followed a Bible reading plan that showed me the daily reading passages needed to stay on track. I used the YouVersion Bible app that tracked my progress and counted my reading streaks - thank you, digital dopamine! I completed my reading first thing, so I didn’t risk my streak. If there was something I didn’t understand, I circled back in the afternoon to dig deeper. I also had the (perceived) accountability of my Bible app friends – I couldn’t let these strangers down, they might be rooting for me. Best of all, the Bible app went everywhere with me, including on vacation. Let’s compare that year’s system to 2021. I was highly motivated on January 1 to learn more about everything I had just read the previous year. Not much of a plan, is it?
It’s easy to shift the blame to dwindling motivation when our performance or consistency tapers, but motivation isn’t a reliable resource. We all know the feeling of wanting to do the right thing, yet failing to follow through. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul shared his struggles with candid vulnerability: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Uncomfortably relatable, right? Motivation, as our primary strategy to fulfill our goals, can stall progress. Systems are much more reliable because they are not subject to the ebb and flow of emotions. Let’s examine how we can leverage simple systems to create and sustain progress.
Neuroplasticity
The brain’s ability to change and adapt its structure and function is called neuroplasticity, and it was a wildly impossible idea for centuries. It wasn’t until the 1970s that our science could finally prove the unthinkable: the adult brain can be transformed and renewed. This alone is an incredible finding, but modern science continues to reveal our power to influence the development and organization of our brain’s neural pathways. A neural pathway is a route through which our neurons (brain cells) communicate and transmit information. These pathways are strengthened each time they’re used. When we go through the well-practiced motions without much conscious thought, we attribute it to muscle memory, because saying “it’s my well-established neural pathway” doesn’t have the same ring. Our thought-life has muscle memory patterns as well. Paul was far ahead of modern science when he implored the Romans to refuse to conform to the patterns of the world, and instead, be transformed by renewing our minds. Understanding the basics of neuroplasticity gives us an undeniable advantage.
Who informs What
To understand behavioral patterns, we must first get into the practice of examining and challenging the truth of our identity-shaping beliefs. In Psychocybernetics, Maxwell Maltz explains that our actions, feelings, behaviors, and abilities are always consistent with our self-image. How we label ourselves can be a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. In Atomic Habits, James Clear gives a memorable example of how identity informs behavior: Two people who have decided to quit smoking today are offered a cigarette. The first responds, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit.” The second responds, “No thanks, I am not a smoker.” The second responder has been transformed through this new identity statement. He no longer identifies as a smoker. What beliefs are we allowing to shape our identities and behaviors? Do they support the life we want to build?
We can proactively build identity and value statements to support the life we want. I keep my identity statements posted on the first page of my planner. I speak them over myself each morning. I also have three core values plus one aspirational value that rotates depending on my greatest need. What are your identity and value statements? You can use all the words or keep it simple like mine, just make sure it resonates.
Condition: I am a thriving creator. I am grateful, intentional, and courageous. I am consistently becoming more antifragile.
Connection: I am a faithful encourager. I am kind, encouraging, and full of grace. I am consistently becoming more compassionate.
Contribution: I am an exceptional steward. I am generous, diligent, and wise. I am consistently becoming more creative.
Our Habits Should Support Our Goals
Goals and habits go hand-in-hand, but they are not interchangeable. Our habits should be consistent practices that support our goals. Our goals should be clear targets that support our values and identity. Goals are typically lag measurements or metrics that help us evaluate results. Achieving a goal weight of 150 pounds by the end of the month is a lag measurement. Habits are typically lead measurements, which are the behaviors and activities that produce desired results. Logging thirty minutes of zone 2 cardio exercise is a lead measurement. We need to enlist the help of good lead measurements to produce the lag measurements we desire. When we intentionally use neuroplasticity to wire in behaviors that support the results we want, it’s habit building. Here’s an example of how I outlined mine this season:
Goal: I will create Rock & Meadow’s Spring 2025 Foundations class workbook before the end of the month – to help others realize and fulfill their God-given potential.
Habit: I will draft and create for at least ninety minutes at 7:30 AM Monday-Saturday – to organize my ideas and experiences into practical concepts and memorable stories that inspire faith, courage, and resolve in others.
Creating Systems that Support Your Purpose and Calling
That 2021 Bible reading flop has taught me the necessity of engineering a system for every goal because motivation is a poor strategy for progress. Although I’m several years into the daily Bible reading habit, I still have a system for it. I have a plan, a time, a place, a cue, and a back-up reminder. This daily reading and study habit supports my recurring goal of keeping my heart tethered to my Creator by reading through and meditating on His (entire) Word each year. This goal supports my values of intentionality, encouragement, and wisdom, as well as my identity as a thriving creator, faithful encourager, and exceptional steward formed in His image.
Systems Checklist:
I have an identity statement that focuses my attention on who God created me to become.
My goal is written, reviewable, SMART, and a perfect blend of challenging and engaging.
My daily habits support my wildly important goal.
I use a method (chart, app, planner, etc.) to track my progress and performance.
I have the support (accountability, mentorship, coaching, etc.) I need to progress at my desired pace.
I am proactively sharing what I learn to help others make progress.
Every action brings us closer to or further from the person God created us to become. Building strategic systems helps reserve our finite resources for the new, unexpected, or critical stuff.
How are you engineering a motivation-proof system to support your wildly important goal?
Faith Encouragement:
Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Shane J. Lopez, PhD – “In short, mindset influences every aspect of your life, from work to sports, from relationships to parenting. If you believe you can change and develop, you know you can move beyond your present limitations. This makes a growth mindset the natural companion of hope.”
James Clear – “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
James Clear – “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”