What is Follow Through and Why is it Important?
By definition, follow through means to “continue an action or task to its conclusion”, in sports it means finishing your shot, your swing, your throw, etc. after the ball is struck or released. If we think about follow through in terms of sports, which for me is always an easier analogy to use in life =), I start to think about what am I doing after I make that initial contact, or start the initial motion.
In business, in life, in sports, it’s not always the “getting started” part that we as humans have the hardest time with. There is the cliché of “the hardest thing about getting started, is getting started” which may be true for some, but I think the majority of us have a much harder time with the follow through. We have all of these great ideas, and begin to implement them, but then we lose steam if things don’t go our way, RIGHT AWAY!
For example, we make a phone call or send an email to a potential client, networking source, teacher, coach, or whomever looking for a response of some sort. When they don’t respond right away, or they don’t respond in the manner that WE feel is appropriate, what happens? If we don’t get the answer we want on the first try, we often think, “well I guess it wasn’t meant to be”, or “I’m just not cut out for this”, or “I can’t do it, at least I tried.”
BUT DID YOU THOUGH?
Did You Follow Through?
In sports, we are taught at an early stage in whatever sport we are playing, to hold our follow through, whether that be after a shot, after a pitch, after a hit, or after a kick. Why are we coached to do this? The reason is repetition correlating your brain and body connection.
Anytime we try something new, or perform a task we have never done before, it takes repetition to gain understanding of the skill or task. It also takes “muscle memory” and body recognition. Without the body and brain being on the same page, it becomes more difficult to complete a new skill. Think of a young child trying to hit a ball off of a tee for the first time, IT’S HARD!
As adults, or growing teens, or whoever you are reading this (ps. thank you for that!), we have to give ourselves the permission to “hold the follow through” and to NOT be great at something the very first time we do it! The FOLLOW THROUGH is an integral part in the whole process. If we just struck the ball as we swung the bat, and didn’t move the bat through the full swing, we wouldn’t get much of a hit (unless of course your plan is to bunt, then that’s a different story all together). The momentum happens with the follow through, with using our whole being, our whole body behind the movement.
And in that same way, that is what needs to happen in order to find success in life. Not just in sports, but also in your career, in school, and even in your New Year’s resolutions and goals!
How to Follow Through
Well first things first, do you have your goals and resolutions set out for yourself, whether that be for business, school, athletics, life, home? If not, that is where you start, if you need help with writing goals that are measurable and meaningful, please message dr.meghanbraun@bodymechpt.com or join The Raise Your Game Program for more insight and information.
Once you have your goals, ideas, or resolutions written out so that you can track them, then you start the process of implementation and action. If one of your goals is to find a new job, you have to start with your resume and job search, what would be the follow through on that? You guessed it, updating your resume, and tracking the jobs that you have applied for, and then….FOLLOW THROUGH. Follow up with emails and phone calls to potential employers, letting them know you are very interested and very qualified for the job you are applying for.
As my business coach says, it’s all about the touch points and follow-up. People want to know that you care, whether that is caring enough to find out more information, care enough to check in on someone, care enough to let them know you are interested, people want to know, and they want to be heard, much the same way you do!
Track, Track, Track
As a medical/science nerd, data is very important to me. It influences the way I treat patients, the way I restructure and reorganize my businesses and processes, and it gives me valuable information to change up my shot and how I follow through. Make sure to keep track of when, how, and what you are doing when you are following through. If it’s going to the gym, keep track of when you are working out, what exactly you are doing (weights, reps, sets, etc.), what you are eating and doing before or after, your mood and mental/emotional state before and after, and the general feelings on the matter. When you start tracking and can see patterns throughout your day or routines, you can create a better environment for yourself to thrive and achieve the goals you have set out to accomplish.
Once you track and have data for a few days/weeks, you can tweak your approach and sharpen your follow through, its all about adaptation and repetition! To learn more about tracking, goal setting, mental and physical strength, check out The Restore, Develop, and Strengthen Journals on Amazon or purchase at the office!
I hope this blog finds you well in the New Year and helps you FOLLOW THROUGH with your goals and resolutioNS!
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If you enjoyed this blog, please share it with someone you think it could help, and comment below on what you are doing to improve your FOLLOW THROUGH for the New Year!
