If nothing changes, then nothing changes. This goes for your sport, your studies, or your business. If things keep turning out short of what you want, then you must change something.

It happened to me recently. A doctor told me, basically, to change my diet or die. Those were the only two choices. But how to win? How to win this mental game?

I had been trying to change my diet for years. Nothing worked. Then I remembered the $1,000 challenge. It’s a success strategy taught by Dr. Rob Gilbert, a sports psychologist at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey.

It goes in three steps. First, decide what behaviors you must absolutely avoid. Second, write a check for $1,000, and make it out to the person you’d least like to see take $1,000 from you. Third, give the check to a trusted friend, and tell them that if they catch you doing the prohibited behaviors, they must mail the check to the person you’d least like to see take $1,000 from you.

In other words, put a heavy penalty on failure. It is a strong motivator.

I’ve changed the rules a bit, but the game is the same. I’m telling everyone that if they catch me eating white rice, white bread or white potatoes, I owe them $1,000.

I’m putting it here on the blog so you can read it. It’s on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I mention it every time I give a seminar. There is no hiding. Just today I was eating lunch in a diner. Someone recognized me and said hello. Thank goodness I had told the waiter to hold the home fries!

Chances are that you, too, must change something. Start today! Make a commitment, make it public, make it happen.

And if you catch me eating white rice, white bread or white potatoes, you make $1,000!