021 The 4G’s

Stop feeling stuck and start building momentum with a simple four-part daily practice designed to sharpen your focus and strengthen your habits. This guide breaks down how the "Four G’s"—Gratitude, Goals, Growth, and Grace—can rewire your brain and accelerate your personal evolution.

Do you ever feel like you're just one decision away from changing your life, but you aren't sure which way to turn? 🛑 I’ve been there. As a recovering perfectionist, I used to spend way too much time overcomplicating the path forward.

But five years ago, I started a daily practice that completely untied my knots and activated some crazy momentum. It’s a framework I learned from Danelle Delgado called the "Four G’s." I’m not just sharing this because it sounds good; I’m sharing it because I’ve put in the reps every single day for half a decade, and the results have been transformative!! 🚀

If you’re ready to stop "spending" your energy and start "investing" it into your potential, let’s dive into the hardware of your daily routine.

What Is the Secret to Transformative Gratitude?

Answer: Transformative gratitude requires writing down ten specific items from the last 24 hours rather than reciting the same generic list daily. By focusing on recent details and adding a "because" statement to each, you connect the emotion to the action, effectively rewiring your brain's prediction hardware for positivity and awareness.

A lot of people think gratitude is just saying, "I’m thankful for my house and my dog." Hogwash. While those are great, repeating them every day dilutes the effect. To really "hack the system," you need nuance. I do my gratitudes first thing in the morning before I even touch my phone. Why? Because I don't want the world’s noise flooding my brain before I’ve reflected on the wins of the last 24 hours.

If you say, "I’m grateful for my spouse," add a "because." I'm grateful for Ashley because she made me feel seen during our conversation last night. That "because" is the glue that sticks the gratitude to your neural pathways.

Information Gain: The 30-Day Mirror Challenge If you struggle with insecurity or a "wolf" of self-doubt, Danelle suggests a brutal but rewarding challenge: For 30 days, write down 10 things you are grateful for about yourself—attributes, talents, or abilities. The catch? You cannot repeat a single item for the entire month. It forces you to see yourself the way God or your loved ones do. 🤯

Why Does Goal Setting Feel So Overwhelming for High Achievers?

Answer: Goal setting often feels heavy because of a fear of failure or the complexity of traditional "SMART" frameworks. To break the stall, simplify your focus to just three specific goals and clearly define the "Sacrifice" required and a proportional "Reward" to trigger the brain’s dopamine circuits for sustained achievement.

I used to avoid writing goals because I thought if they weren't on paper, I couldn't "fail." Yikes. That’s just a lack of integrity with yourself. Now, I use a specific structure for my top three goals: Why, When, Who, Sacrifice, Result, and Reward.

The "Sacrifice" section is the most overlooked. We all have the same 24 hours. If you want a new result, you have to decide what you’re saying "no" to. Maybe it’s an hour of Netflix; maybe it’s sleep (though be careful with that one, I’ve learned the hard way that sacrificing sleep erodes your foundation!). Also, don't confuse the Result with the Reward. The result is "I lost 20 pounds." The reward is "I’m buying those new shoes I’ve wanted." Your brain needs that proportional prize to keep the motor running!! 🏃‍♂️

How Can I Turn Daily Learning into Actual Results?

Answer: Real growth happens when you commit to at least 30 minutes of intentional learning and—most importantly—identify one specific takeaway to implement immediately. This consistent "rep" leverages the power of compounding, transforming passive consumption into active expertise and personal optimization.

Growth is my favorite G, but it’s where people get stuck in "airy-fairy" territory. They listen to podcasts all day but never change their behavior. To optimize this, you must find one thing from your 30-minute session to implement today.

Whether it’s a Peterson Academy course, a YouTube deep dive, or a book, the goal is repeatability. Think about the "17-minute rule." Science shows that if you commit to one thing for just 17 minutes a day for a year, you’ll be better than 95% of the world. That’s Crazy Town! You don’t need to be a world-class elite overnight; you just need to put in the daily reps.

Why Is Daily Grace the Ultimate Momentum Builder?

Answer: Daily grace acts as a necessary "antidote" to the bitterness and perfectionism that slow your progress. By identifying one pain point to release—whether a past mistake or a preemptive forgiveness for a future interaction—you free up mental energy to focus on growth rather than resentment.

Forgiveness isn't about forgetting; it’s about refusing to drink poison and expecting the other person to die. Oof. If you’re a recovering perfectionist, you probably need to put your own name on the grace line more often than anyone else's.

Information Gain: The "Preemptive Grace" Hack I often use "Future Grace." If I know I’m going to be in close proximity to someone all day—like my wonderful wife, Ashley—I might write her name down for grace before the day even starts. It’s not because she’s a basket case; it’s because humans get on each other's nerves! Preemptively deciding to have grace reframes my mind and uses the law of positive intent to ensure an average day becomes an incredible one.

The Power of the Pen

One last tip: Write it down by hand. ✍️ I’m a techie guy, but there is neurological evidence that handwriting activates different parts of your brain than typing. If you’re going to invest the time, why not get the maximum ROI? Danelle’s journals are about an inch thick for a reason—they are designed for the "reps" that rewire your hardware.

Daily anything changes everything. Let's goooo!! 💪

Resources:

I Choose Joy by Danelle Delgado

Daily anything changes everything.

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