Yes, "Gamify" is a word. It's defined as adding typical elements of game playing (point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to an activity or process.
This is MMPT #8 of 2021 and I've discussed big topics like "1BT - One Big Thing", "Momentum 101", I went deep and shared the "30 Things I Wish I Knew by 30" and gave you my thoughts on "Financial Literacy 101". All of these topics had one thing in common: they require thought and action. Many of us love to think about what we want. It feels good to think big but that feeling fades when the work begins. Day 1 isn't bad, Day 2 is okay, by day 3 you start to ask yourself "Is it worth the effort? Do I really want this?, Day 4, you start to say things like: "I deserve a day off. I did a lot", Day 5: something comes up and you get distracted and from the there, the dream dies. Literally, that quickly in most cases. In one week, a person can go from being fired up, motivated and inspired to your brain convincing you that the status quo is better. The brain did its job, it kept you safe. To the brain, positive change is considered danger.
To "reset the temperature on the thermostat" or change what the status quo is, you have to make radical changes, you have to put leverage on yourself and you have to take consistent action. Last week, I put a post on Instagram where I told everyone about my quest to build a healthier lifestyle by starting with losing 20 pounds. I'm telling you again today. Why? Because this is what we call putting leverage on yourself. If I tell hundreds of people, I put the pressure on myself to hit the goal. Have you heard the term "Burn the Ships"? "Burning the ships" is considered putting so much leverage on yourself that you have no choice but to do what you need to do to achieve success. Period. End of story. When I see all of you at our next big event, I need to have shown massive results or you will think I'm a fraud. That is a concept I will not tolerate in myself. That is the way that I am "gamifying" my goals and burning the ships.
You can also "gamify your results" by tracking good habits that you know with certainty will have a positive effect on your life and business.
Back to "Atomic Habits" where James Clear talks in Chapter 16 about "gamifying" your habits. I want to read you another excerpt from the book:
"In 1993, a bank in Abbotsford, Canada, hired a 23 year old stockbroker named Trent Dyrsmind. Abbotsford was a relatively small suburb, tucked away in the shadow of nearby Vancouver, where most of the big deals were being made. Given the location and given the fact that Dyrsmind was a rookie, no one expected much from him. But he made brisk progress thanks to a simple daily habit.
Dyrsmind began each morning with 2 jars on his desk. One was filled with 120 paperclips. The other was empty. As soon as he settled in each day, he'd make a sales call. Immediately after, he'd move one paper clip to the empty jar and the process would begin again "Every morning I would start with 120 paperclips in a jar and I would keep dialing until I moved them all to the second jar." he told me. Within 18 months, Dyrsamind was bringing in $5 million to the firm. By age 24, he was making $75,000 a year - the equivalent of making $150,000 today..."
This is a perfect example of taking a productive habit, process or system and "gamifying it".
Make your goals visual. Create a vision board, look at it everyday. You probably remember the fundraising efforts of charities when they would use a thermometer to track their success. The closer they got to their goal, the thermometer would get filled up with red. I have a map in my office in which I visually to track my relationships around the brand to better serve our agents' referral needs. Get creative, get visual and get to work.
Maybe the most important way to "gamify" is to form an accountability group where the members have similar interests and goals. This group can text, call or meet regularly to support each other and hold each other accountable. Achieving big results is extremely difficult and trying to do it alone, I'm finding, is almost impossible. You need the supportive words and encouragement from others.
A successful life and business is made up of productive choices and habits done regularly over the course of your life. Period. The hard part is creating and sticking to those habits. Here is the 5-pronged approach to creating massive results, summed up:
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Identify the habit or habits that will have the most significant impact on your life and business.
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Put leverage on yourself. Tell those in your close circle or tell the masses. "Burning the ships" gives you no exit strategy.
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Track your habits. "Gamify" them. To create a habit takes 30-90 days based on how consistent you've been. You must track these habits until they become bio-rhythms. Darren Hardy in his book "The Compound Effect" created a Habit Tracker that he suggested his readers use to track productive habits and a way to delete bad habits.
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Make your goals and games visual. "Gamifying your results" is all about making your habits real, fun and entertaining. The tracking needs to be right in front of you all of the time.
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Create an accountability group that shares similar goals. James Clear goes on to say that one of the most important parts of success is to be a part of a culture that (1) Your desired behavior is the normal behavior (2) You already have something in common with the group/tribe. Read Chapter 9 again.
Team, this idea described today is so powerful that it needs an immediate thinking session on your part.
If you have not read "Atomic Habits" and "The Compound Effect", make reading them non-negotiable. If you have, pick them back up and re-read and study them.
I have learned, implemented and stress-tested this one following concept: It is not about doing more. It is 100% about doing less, better and more consistently. Go narrow and deep with your actions that are "authentic to you". Created solid habits to support those actions and once they become biorhythms, strategically start to stack additional productive habits to the stack. To do this, you need to take radical steps. You need to "Gamify Your Results."
