Objective Measures

How are you doing?

Past articles here on Timely Insights have talked about taking charge of your life, planning things out, and taking consistent action – so, what’s next?

At some point you need to step back and evaluate your progress.

When was the last time you took a hard look at the results you’ve been getting?

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Refresher – getting healthy is good for you

As I wrote in “Getting Healthy” back in 2007, I’ve had to get my personal health story together.  I wasn’t overweight, but I was happy to lose some pounds.  The real culprit was my cholesterol and triglyceride levels – they indicated I was looking at future problems.

As I explained, I was shocked into action, made a decision, kept to my plan, and saw some very significant results.

But like all good doctors, mine wanted to see me again in 6 months, and again another year later…

Numbers don’t lie

Six months later my numbers had slid backwards, I chalked it up to a bad test week…  A year later and with some more effort on my part, they aren’t any better.  So apparently my good intentions are no longer sufficient.

Comfortable

That’s what I’d call my effort – a comfortable attempt at continuing my lower fat, lower sugar diet…

A couple bright spots – my HDL or “good” cholesterol level has risen, and my weight has remained stable.  But if I focus on those, I’ll miss the fact that my bad cholesterol and triglycerides are halfway back to where they were before the initial scare.

Taking a look

So while you’re taking action, be sure to build in some checks – to monitor your progress and see how you’re doing along the way.

They don’t have to be complicated, but they have to help you understand if you’re meeting your goals.  Do you know if your plan is working as intended? Do you need to adjust your actions and make changes?

Lies, damned lies, and statistics

And here I’ll defer to Wikipedia: “Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and popularised [sic] in the United States by Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments, and the tendency of people to disparage statistics that do not support their positions.

Have a clear head about your numbers – taken to an extreme, they can either undermine your success, or trick you into thinking your failing efforts are successes.

Ostriches don’t bury their heads – you shouldn’t either

So don’t bury your head and ignore the data that you have available, but don’t be like Chicken Little either;-)

Evaluate your results with eyes wide open – and then adjust your tactics accordingly.