Training from the BACK of the Room! (TBR)

Just over two years ago my 4th son (Clay Anderson) came up with a brilliant idea. He called it “Friday Resolutions” and it worked like this:

I picked four basic areas where I wanted to grow and each Friday I’d make a resolution, rotating among the 4 growth areas. The only rules were:

1) You have to be able to accomplish it in a week

2) You don’t get to beat yourself up about other stuff you’re not doing

3) You celebrate success!

Over the past two years I’ve achieved almost all of my resolutions – a very different outcome from those New Year’s Resolutions that I rarely achieved. I’ve done simple things like “walk every day for 30 minutes” and fun things like the time son #6 (Joseph Anderson) challenged me to “play more games” – during that week I went on two picnics and a bike ride! Another time Joe challenged me to “be a dragon” which led me down the path of celebrating my Welsh ancestry with cooking and telling my sons about Wales and how our people came to be Americans.

I keep my FRs in a journal – very simple, doesn’t take a lot of time, and the journal is filled with pictures that I draw representing the goal and the accomplishments, or challenges that kept me from getting to the goal. The net result is a lovely history of places I’ve been and things I’ve done!

This year – with my increased knowledge of neuroscience – I’ve added in another twist. If my FR is a new habit I’m trying to establish (like walking daily, or eating breakfast) I keep it going for 3 weeks (while simultaneously starting a new FR) so that I get strong neural connections and I ensure my FR includes a trigger and really delightful rewards!

Deborah Ward is a Certified Trainer for “Training from the BACK of the Room” and a learning and performance consultant. You can find more information about her company and services at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dward1