The road to achievement and success is a hard journey to choose. You have to consistently put in the work day after day. You have to make the next right decision time after time. It isn’t easy and there are no guarantees that you will ever make it. It is a choice that most people decline to make.

The good news is, there are ways to increase your chances to get to that mountaintop. It starts with knowing where you are going. It sounds simple and barely worth mentioning. Of course you know your goals, they have been on your mind forever. They are what you are working towards. Your goals are what get you up in the morning and are the reason you do what you are doing.

The problem is with the space in between. Wherever you are at right now and wherever your goals lie there is probably a lot of steps in the middle that you need to check off your list.

One of the issues with all those tasks is you might start to only see the tasks. You know that if you just keep accomplishing one after the other you will eventually get to your destination. But it is easy to forget to step back and see the goal. You might discover that you have been traveling down the wrong road and you are no closer to your goal than when you started. You can’t see the forest through the trees.

There is a fix. It is easy to implement and can be used in many of areas of your life. All you have to do is KEEP SCORE.

Here is my example of how I use the concept in real life.

I have a goal of finishing an Ironman triathlon sometime in my near future. To do that I need to get a base of fitness that will allow me to have the strength and speed to accomplish the task. So, I work out. I swim, bike, run, and lift weights. But it isn’t haphazard.

I have been using the same brand of workout journal for at least the last 10 years. In the journal, I record almost all of my workouts. I am keeping score. I can see what I have done, how long it is taking to achieve milestones, and watch my progress happen before my eyes. It works to keep me pointed toward my goal when all I can focus on is getting the next long run behind me.

In addition to the journal, my watch keeps track of even more data for me. I am able to see down to the second how I perform in races and all training efforts. I can use all the information together to get a full picture of what I am doing, or not doing properly. It keeps me heading true north.

If I wasn’t keeping score I wouldn’t be able to remember each workout and how well it went. I wouldn’t be able to compare my races to see where my weaknesses are. I would be just spinning my wheels (even more than I already do).

This example is an easy one, but hardly the only application. For instance, you could…

• Track how many blog posts you publish each month and the category of their content.
• Track how many sales calls you make per week and look for patterns or preferences that might be hindering you.
• Track each calorie you eat per day to get a clear picture of your nutrition. (I did this for more than 6 months. It will completely change how you view food and eating).

The benefits of keeping score far outweigh the small effort of recording the activities. Pick one of your goals, work backward to where you are now, and track your key performance indicators. You will then be able to follow your true north, the path that leads you right to your goal. I can’t wait to see you when you get there.

Chris