Sun evening stroll
Have you ever caught yourself creating backup plans before even giving your first plan a proper go?
During my Q1 audit, I spotted a pattern that was quietly sabotaging my progress. I'd set out for a 10K run, but just 2K in, when my knee started to twinge, I'd immediately think, "well, I could just do 5K instead."
Looking at my fitness tracker, I could easily see this pattern forming – not just with running, but with gym sessions too. I'd plan morning workouts, then before even trying to wake up early, I'd already be thinking, "I can always do it at lunch if morning doesn't work out."
But then something clicked.
Instead of seeing these backup plans as smart thinking, I realised they were actually just giving me permission to quit before I'd even started.
The Heart of the Matter
Everyday we negotiate, whether it's with others when we buy things or how we spend our time. But the most important negotiations happen with ourselves and most of us are losing these internal negotiations daily.
It's easy for us to think we're being clever by having multiple backup plans when really we're just undermining our commitment to Plan A. To get closer to our goals, we need to understand that this constant negotiation with ourselves wastes energy and weakens our self-trust.
My other half would always say don’t think of plan B just do plan A and most people create Plan B before giving Plan A a real chance and then wonder why they feel all over the place and inconsistent. But that cycle keeps us stuck in the same patterns month after month with less and less confidence.
The real progress happens when we start winning our own negotiations when we commit fully to Plan A, knowing that we might need to tweak things but only after we've truly given our first plan everything we've got.
Your Toolkit for Commitment
Flip your language: Start saying "Not yet done" instead of "Can't do it." This simple switch creates possibility instead of limitation.
Do a commitment audit: Take an honest look at where you're creating escape routes before even starting. For me, this meant seeing that my morning workouts weren't happening because I'd already given myself permission to push them back.
Make tweaks, not complete changes: I'm not stopping when things get hard – I'm adjusting within the commitment rather than ditching it entirely.
Do first, think later: Focus entirely on starting Plan A before your mind wanders to backups. These few seconds of just doing it build momentum.
Making It Personal
Think about your own patterns. Where are you creating elaborate backup plans that actually stop you from fully committing to your main goal?
What if instead of seeing these backup plans as smart preparation, you saw them as sneaky ways you're giving yourself permission to quit?
Why This Matters to You
The difference between people who hit their goals and those who don't often comes down to this: understanding that commitment means giving Plan A your full attention and energy before thinking about alternatives.
When you focus entirely on executing Plan A instead of splitting your mental energy across multiple backup plans, you give yourself an edge in decision making and time management that builds both results and confidence.
Your Next Steps
Take 15 minutes this week to spot one area where you always create backup plans before even starting.
When challenges come up, ask "How can I adapt within this plan?" rather than "What's my backup plan?"
Wrapping Up
We all face that moment when commitment meets challenge. The question isn't if you'll need to adapt it's whether you'll do so from a place of continued commitment or just giving up.
For me, these past couple weeks of sticking with Plan A have given me back so much mental energy and control of my time. More importantly, each completed commitment has built confidence for the next one.
As we start this new quarter, remember: Start winning the negotiations with yourself – it's the one relationship where you control both sides of the table.
Until next Sunday, Justin
💡 Getting Plan A done builds more confidence than having Plans B through Z ever could.
P.S. What's one goal you've been negotiating yourself out of that deserves your complete commitment this week?
