The engine of success

# Chapter 79

You do not rise to the level of your goals—you fall to the level of your systems. - James Clear

This is so so so so true. I see it all the time, since I work with people and helping them reach and make and understand their goals is something that I do very often. It is wonderful to help people reach their goals and to make stretch goals and go up another level in their lives and in their accomplishments. But the goal-making and goal-reaching are just the surface process. Goals are the sexy exterior. The engine that drives the actual movement, the daily progress, are the systems in your life. If you don’t have systems, consistency in action, then most of your goals are gonna stay unreached.

Many years ago I read Peter Senge’s pivotal text on systems, The Fifth Discipline, and it was a revolution and a revelation for me. I was in my early 30’s and was just starting to build and develop systems in my life and see some results. Then I read the book and like fertilizing in the Spring, a sudden and huge set of possibilities occurred in my life, if only I would build more and better systems! The growth was fantastic! The possibilities endless! And the rest is history as they say. Systems have brought me to where I am today. My present day situation and my successes in life, and my progress and my opportunities, are all closely tied to my systems.

Here is the crucial systems piece - the discipline, or consistency of your system. The more dependable your system, the greater certainty of reaching every goal.