RPM Is Not a January Tool
RPM Is Not a January Tool. It’s the Fix for the Goal Problem You Keep Repeating.
One of the most incredible things that happened to me in my business last year was joining an elite team of coaches coaching for Tony Robbins in his Pathways To Power RPM program.
I've had a real aversion to goals for some time - of which has its advantages and its disadvantages.
One of my favourite quotes from James Clear's Atomic Habits is
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
As a result I always focused on purpose and action plans - so when I learned about RPM, I felt like all that I believed and knew about goals had been validated by one of the most famous peak performance expert who specializes in the 'psychology of success,' teaching people how to master their emotions and break through the mental blocks holding them back."
Tony is the father of the modern life-coaching industry and the author of Awaken the Giant Within, having spent over 45 years teaching people how to take control of their health, wealth, and mindsets.
So here is how this is relevant to those wonderful people I help through my work.
Most SME owners do not have a goal problem.
They have a follow-through problem.
Not because they are lazy.
Not because they are unmotivated.
Not because they do not know what to do.
They simply keep trying to run their business with two broken operating systems:
Goals that sound inspiring but are too vague to execute.
To-do lists that are detailed but disconnected from purpose.
So the year fills up with movement… but not momentum.
You tick boxes.
You stay busy.
You put out fires.
You make progress in bursts.
And yet the results you say matter most keep sliding to “later.”
Not because you do not care.
Because your execution collapses under pressure.
And when execution collapses under pressure, you do not have a strategy problem.
You have a default identity problem.
You plan for the best version of yourself.
Then pressure arrives and the old default takes over.
This is not a seasonal issue.
It is an operator issue.
And it is exactly why RPM matters.
Why Goals and To-Do Lists Fail High Performers
Goals and to-do lists are not inherently wrong.
They are just incomplete.
A goal tells you what you want.
A to-do list tells you what you could do next.
But neither forces the most important question:
Why does this matter enough for you to stay consistent when it gets hard?
Without that “why,” your brain will always choose the path of least resistance when load increases:
Avoid the hard conversation.
Push the decision to next week.
Stay in the safe tasks.
Default to urgency.
Grab the work back instead of leading.
That is not poor planning.
That is identity under pressure.
So if you have ever looked at your own goals and thought,
“I genuinely want this… so why do I keep not doing it?”
You are not broken.
You are simply under-led.
The Real Issue: Your Business Is Running on Defaults
Pressure is not the thing that ruins your plan.
Pressure is the thing that reveals which identity is in charge.
Under calm conditions, you can operate from intention.
Under load, you operate from your default.
And most SME owners have a default identity that was built to survive:
The fixer.
The protector.
The people-pleaser.
The controller.
The sprinter who burns out and disappears.
Again: not bad identities.
Just outdated for the level of leadership your business now requires.
So the pattern repeats:
You set goals.
You make a list.
You start strong.
Then pressure hits.
Then the default takes over.
Then momentum drains out of the things that mattered most.
This is why RPM is not a “New Year framework.”
It is an execution framework.
A system for staying aligned when the environment is not.
RPM: The Thinking Framework That Replaces “Busy” With Momentum
RPM stands for:
R: Result — What do I want? Specifically. Clearly. Measurably.
P: Purpose — Why do I want it? What does it make possible? Who does it impact?
M: Massive Action Plan — What actions make this inevitable, especially when pressure hits?
Here is the difference in one sentence:
Goals tell you what you want. RPM tells you who you must become to execute it.
Most people do “R” only.
They write:
“Grow revenue.”
“Get fit.”
“Be consistent on marketing.”
“Improve the team.”
But without purpose, results stay optional.
Purpose is not fluff.
Purpose is the psychological fuel that makes execution resilient.
The Mistake SME Owners Keep Making (All Year Long)
They confuse activity with progress.
They keep a to-do list that looks impressive, but it is not anchored to outcomes.
So they end up with:
Full days.
Half-finished priorities.
A business that still relies on them too much.
And goals that keep getting re-written instead of achieved.
RPM is how you stop rewriting the year and start executing it.
Not through hype.
Through clarity.
The Three RPM Questions That Reveal the Identity Gap Instantly
Choose one goal you have carried for too long.
The one you keep postponing, “refining,” or circling back to.
Now answer these three questions with total honesty.
1) RESULT: What do I want, specifically?
Not “more clients.”
Not “better systems.”
Not “more time.”
What outcome would be visibly true if you achieved it?
If it is vague, you cannot execute it cleanly.
Vague results create vague action.
2) PURPOSE: Why do I want it, really?
This is the piece most SME owners skip, and it is why execution collapses under stress.
Ask:
What does this create in my life?
What does it remove?
Who benefits if I follow through?
What version of me exists on the other side of this result?
What does it cost me to stay the same?
If your purpose is weak, pressure wins.
If your purpose is clear, pressure becomes information, not derailment.
3) MASSIVE ACTION PLAN: What must I do when pressure triggers my default?
This is where most plans fail: they are written for calm days.
Ask:
What are the 3–5 actions that make this result inevitable?
What are the predictable pressure moments that knock me off track?
What will I do in those moments instead of defaulting?
What boundary must be held?
What decision must be made?
What conversation must happen?
Your Massive Action Plan is not a list.
It is a behavioural commitment.
The Identity Layer That Makes RPM Work Under Pressure
RPM becomes transformative when you add one sentence:
“To achieve this result, I must become the kind of operator who ________.”
Examples:
“…does not negotiate with my own priorities.”
“…leads my calendar instead of reacting to it.”
“…makes decisions quickly and cleanly.”
“…delegates outcomes, not tasks.”
“…holds boundaries without over-explaining.”
Now you are not just setting a goal.
You are naming the identity upgrade required to execute it.
That is the work.
Because your business will never outgrow the identity you insist on staying inside.
A Practical RPM Reset You Can Use Every Week in 2026
If you want this to be the year you stop repeating the same goal cycle, use this weekly reset:
Choose one Result for the week that directly moves your real priorities.
Write the Purpose in one sentence that creates necessity.
Identify three actions only that make it real.
Name the pressure trigger that usually derails you.
Pre-decide your response so your default does not get to vote.
This is not productivity.
This is operator leadership.
You do not need more goals.
You need a better thinking framework.
You need a system that connects:
the result you want,
the purpose that makes it non-negotiable,
and the actions you will still take when pressure hits.
RPM is the answer to the goal problem that does not go away with a new calendar.
It is how you stop living inside to-do lists and start building outcomes.
Because the difference between a busy owner and a true operator is simple:
A busy owner reacts.
An operator executes.
And execution starts with clarity.
My Very Special Offer That Will Accelerate Your Success into 2026!
If you’re done setting goals that collapse the moment life gets real—this is your next step.
Book a 1:1 RPM Activation Intensive: a focused 60-minute coaching session that turns your goals into a plan you can actually execute under pressure.
Why listen to me on RPM?
I’m part of an international elite coaching team coaching alongside Tony Robbins in his Pathways to Power program, where we use the Rapid Planning Method (RPM) to help people move from intention to decisive action—fast.
This New Year intensive is designed to give you a taste of RPM’s power: the kind of clarity that cuts through noise, strengthens commitment, and turns “I should” into “I’m doing.”
Here’s what we’ll build (in 60 minutes):
A clear Result you can measure
A compelling Purpose that makes it emotionally real
A Massive Action Plan that survives stress, distraction, and dips in motivation
A clear read on your default identity pattern—and the upgraded operator choice that replaces it
And then I’ll do the integration work for you:
A comprehensive written session summary
Your personalised RPM Plan (ready to execute immediately)
A 7-day check-in email to keep momentum alive when the week gets messy
Why it’s paid
Because investment changes behaviour. People follow through on what they choose. If you want a different year, it starts with a different level of commitment.
New Year Offer: NZ $450
Only 5 spots available—I’m coaching global clients all through summer.
Book My RPM Activation Intensive
