The #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Journey: the scorecard part 2)

Go Back   The #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Journey – An Introduction [PART 1]

The (early draft) #BeYourBest Scorecard

The Intent Of The Scorecard

The idea behind this scorecard is that it helps you and I honestly evaluate where you are right now in terms of optimal wellness of mind and body, and what steps you may consider taking over the coming months to help you show up to the maximum… and thrive!

It perfectly dovetails into the #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Journey from AdapNation, where we’ll support you in encouraging small incremental shifts across these four Self-Optimisation Priorities over the course of 100 days.

The Interconnectedness Between Mindset and Nutrition, Rest and Exercise

There are five self-optimisation priorities in the #BeYourBest Scorecard, in this order – (P1) MINDSET, (P2) NUTRITION, (P3) REST & REPLENISH, (P4) EXERCISE and (P5) PHYSIQUE.

Here’s the thing though, whilst they are distinct in how they can be evaluated, described and developed, they are inextricable interconnected. Each can have a profound impact on one another, which means if one is poor it will inevitably impact one or all of the others.

Let Me Give You An Example – Sleep.

A hard lesson I’ve unknowingly battled all my life, up until this year. If you get just one poor nights sleep of only a few hours on interrupted sleep, you will wake up less energised, positive and compassionate. You will likely struggle with complex tasks, will be more likely to procrastinate, and may likely drop some positive morning rituals.

The lack of energy will have you crave calorie dense and high-sugar/fat foods, that makes dieting harder.

You will have not repaired your body from the damage caused by exercise as effectively as you could, and the reduction in testosterone, increase in cortisol, and the general lack of energy will mean you have a less than ideal workout, if you even decide to train that day.

Moreover, you’ll likely be more short with your colleagues, friends and families than you would if you slept well, meaning there is risk of increased social tension.

And all of this (and more) can happen with just one poor night sleep. Get into the habit (as I did) of only getting 5-6h a poor quality sleep per night combined with working really late and starting again early, and this overall lack of restorative rest and recovery can have an enormous impact on MINDSET, NUTRITION & EXERCISE.

And That’s Only The Tip Of The Iceberg…

The relationship between these four is incredibly damaging and extraordinarily powerful.

Without realising, your food choices can make a BIG impact on the quality of your thoughts and general cognitive sharpness (aka MINDSET).

Getting into the groove of working out rain-or-shine and deliberately seeking body composition and strength improvements has the incredible effect of spurring on positive change in many other facets of your life (aka MINDSET).

Putting just 10-15mins aside for a daily mindfulness practice can significantly increase your level of calm, clarity and compassion – as it has for me (aka MINDSET).

You see, resolving your bad diet habits can make a huge difference to your body and relationship with food, but it can have a much bigger difference too – if you allow it.

Likewise, if you see necessary change as only losing weight, through long term abstinence and beating yourself up in the gym, then achieving your body goal may feel somewhat empty, temporary and without purpose.

That said, if you can evaluate yourself holistically, and take small incrementally steps to be a slightly better version of yourself today than you were yesterday, across these four Priorities, just think about where you could end up in a year! It’s compounding interest for your body and mind, and for those around you.

We’re not talking about massive change from one day to the next, albeit you could absolutely make some big changes in an instant if you are ready to do so, but instead committing to making small permanent shifts in the right direction.

Be kind to yourself. Care for your future self. Pay it forward by vowing to make your life richer, more energised and full of growth and value creation. You deserve to be great, in whatever way you define greatness for you. Let’s do this – it’s time to #BeYourBest.

How It Works

At the highest level, this is what you do, for this early draft of the #BeYourBest Scorecard:

[DEC ’19 UPDATE: since writing, we’ve launched the fully automated online #BeYourBest scorecard, that’s easier to use and more comprehensive. check it out HERE]

* 100+ Score –  I suspect there are very few people who are operating at this level of Self-Optimisation, as this means being perfectly dialled into all four priorities all of the time. But, for those who come close – life is AMAZING!

** Extra note on MINDSET score – As mentioned earlier, Mindset impacts AND is impacted by the other Priorities. It’s a complex measurement, and a complex subject to evaluate in isolation. You also don’t know your full potential – instead you only have memories of when you have been your best. As such, be kind to yourself, but be honest on how you are showing up mentally, and acknowledge that the positive impact on mindset if you were eating, resting and exercising optimally. For this reason, you cannot get to 100 in isolation.

Hope that makes sense….

#BeYourBest Caveat

It’s important that I make clear that this is NOT the ONLY Way.

I’ve transformed my life with the progression outlined in the #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Journey, and it mirrors the transformations made in tens of thousands of lives that you can hear online, through growth-oriented channels and by some of the most renowned self-improvement global leaders such as Tony Robbins.

But, the intent here is to not be dogmatic. You may have found a way to thrive using a few different approaches. That’s totally cool – and well done! 👍  I suspect the scorecard will resonate at 90% of what people think great looks like, with the acceptance there will be some room for debate and a difference of opinion.

An Example – Steve’s Self-Assessment – Early 2016, Now & 2019 Goal

With complete honesty and transparency, I’ll share with you my before, current and future goal states, so you can get an idea of the change potential, and to see that I’ve operated on flawed practices for much of my life – some through ignorance and others through naivety.

Check out 👉  Steve’s #BeYourBest Self-Assessment and commentary of his transformation.

Digging Into The Scorecard Scoring Per Priority Area

Priority One – MINDSET

As outlined above, MINDSET is both impacted and impacts the other Priorities. It is also the most subjective.

There are numerous mindset, character and personality measurements, including psychoanalysis and other tests commonly found within the workplace.

Instead of getting too technical here, I’d ask that you get self-reflective here, and combine a logical evaluation combined with a gut feeling. A topic for another post, but there is exciting research on our second brain – our gut(!), and how our microbiome and GI can communicate instinct via the vagus nerve, gut created hormones and our bloodstream. So, time to give more credit to your gut feeling!

And remember, if you think you’ve got your sh1t together mentally, but all the other three priorities are in a sorry state, there is mindset potential untapped. I know, the difference between sheer willpower and grit driving your mindset versus willpower combined with an energised body is HUGE!

That said, here are some aspects to qualitatively measure yourself against, to help guide your assessment.

1. Growth Mindset – How habitually motivated are you to develop new ideas, gain new insights and learn new skills? Do you proactively seek to grow in some way every day?
2. Positive – How often do you see circumstance through a positive lens, versus react with negativity to situations either in or out of your control?
3. Energised – How lit up are you? Are you fighting a general sense of fatigue or resistance in life, or does working on hard and demanding positive activities come with relative ease?
4. Calm – How calm and balanced are you? Do you flare up with a stress, anxiety, frustration or anger response too often, are are you unflappable?
5. Caring – How often do you organise your thoughts and actions around doing good and helping others, versus obsessing about your situation? How well do you care for yourself?
6. Creative – Are you able to problem solve, brainstorm and generate new ideas with relative ease, or are you more often left with unanswered questions and a vacant mind?
7. Productive – Do you get stuff done, in a self-driven and personally accountable manner? Or do you procrastinate, ignore and wait until someone is on your case before you produce?
8. Awareness – How good is your ‘peripheral vision’, so to speak? Do you have a sixth sense type of clarity regarding your surroundings, social circle and business, or do you feel somewhat blinded when it comes to foresight?
9. Courage – How willing are you to put yourself out there, where there is high potential for failure and scrutiny? Will you do it anyway, or do you over-insulate yourself from being vulnerable?

You may also benefit from reading the 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson, which is a fantastic book that helps understand both meaning, purpose and how to optimally operate mentally.

Told you it’s subjective and raw! The following Priorities of NUTRITION, REST & REPLENISH and EXERCISE (and PHYSIQUE) are much more black and white, albeit there is definitely some room for interpretation…

Scoring & Descriptions of Nutrition, Rest & Exercise

For each of NUTRITION, REST & REPLENISH and EXERCISE,  there’s a 1-12 point scale, where 11-12 is reserved for those who have everything dialled in, and is not essential to aspire towards. There are five categories – Poor, Good, Great, Optimal and Extreme. Extreme is considered counter productive to ultimate wellness and self-optimisation, and should be scored within the Good category.

The idea here being that the below behaviours and actions are indicative collectively of said category, and not individually damning, nor an exhaustive rigid list.

The most important thing is that you are honest with yourself. There’s no value in conveniently lying to yourself, as that will just mask the reality, and will perhaps prevent you from taking the necessary actions.

NOTE: Arrows give a brief insight into Steve’s Before, Current and Goals states. Check out 👉  Steve’s #BeYourBest Self-Assessment and commentary of his transformation.

[DEC ’19 UPDATE: since writing, we’ve launched the fully automated online #BeYourBest scorecard, that’s easier to use and more comprehensive. check it out HERE]

Priority Two – NUTRITION

Priority Three – REST & REPLENISH

Priority Four – EXERCISE

What is Your #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Score?

I would LOVE ❤️ to hear from you with your current score across the four priorities, and where you would like to end up in the next 6-12 months.

We’re all unique and have very different experiences in this world to date. I’m genuinely fascinated to hear where you’re at, and what you think your big rocks are to focus on.

#BeYourBest

Want to see Steve’s dramatic before and after #BeYourBest Scores, with an insight into the catalyst for change and the whole body and mind transformation? Continue reading…

Continue Reading  The #BeYourBest Self-Optimisation Journey – Steve’s Scores [PART 3]