Stanley, who?

CONFESSION: I don’t own a Stanley cup.

But all this recent hub-bub about the Stanley cups did get me thinking ...

We’re a committed RTIC family when it comes to most drinking vessels and coolers. I have a 40oz Stanley-esque RTIC with a straw that is perfect for running errands in the car or on our long roadtrips out west. BUT I’ve found that, if I'm drinking from a straw, I struggle to reach my 100 oz. water goal on a normal day. So, most days, when I’m not in the car on a long roadtrip for 20+ hours, I carry a 50oz Camelbak waterbottle with a chug spout and it's no problem to hit my water goals by lunchtime.

Crazy to think that something as small as a straw can stand between me and reaching my goals, right? But, it happens all the time!

Think about the times you've failed to reach your goals. How often has it been one TINY thing that got in the way; got you off-track? And, what might have changed if - instead of sticking with the straw - you'd pivoted to a chug spout? Would you have reached your goal? Maybe.

When we have big goals, we often get tunnel vision or feel so beholden to a particular set of tools that we inadvertently end up making it HARDER to reach our goals. Instead of making changes, we tend to stick with tools that aren't working for us; tools that create resistance or difficulty, and we inadvertently create obstacles to our success.

Allow me to illustrate: I could keep using my RTIC with the straw every day, but that would make it more likely that I would need to make a more conscious effort and expend more energy to ensure that I reach my daily water goals. On the other hand, I could choose to pivot and utilize a new / different tool - the Camelbak - which would allow me to expend less mental energy, create less of a barrier, and ultimately, make it EASIER for me to reach my water goal each day. One single, simple tweak, and I better set myself up for daily success! That's a win!

Bottom line: sometimes, when chasing a goal, instead of forging ahead with old tools that aren't serving you, you have to pivot and employ new tools.

Is there a tiny thing or an outdated, ineffective tool standing in between you and your goals? If so, what is it? And, how can you pivot to new tools to create less resistance and make it easier for you to succeed?