The Single Principle Of Success To… Performance

By Ali Wilson

So then…

This week let’s look at another of those wonderful ‘One Things’

This time we’ll look at performance.

I’m not constraining this to just physical training by the way.

Performance in ALL areas of our lives should be something we deeply care about, and do something about.

Want to do better at work?

Want to do better in business?

Want to do better at the gym?

Want to do better in sport?

Want to do better in raising your children?

Want to do better in relationships?

Want to do better in your own life?

All performance goals.

The way to increase performance…

PBs!

As in Personal Bests.

That, rather simply, is the way forward. And upward.

Find something relevant, measure it, record it, then improve it.

BEAT IT.

And don’t try to beat it by a lot.

Beat it by the smallest amount you can.

And be happy!

One of the issues with general life for a lot of people is that they seek to increase performance in one area…

But then neglect everything else.

And I think a lot of times people take it for granted because they improve in one area, they think that somehow life will just be better everywhere else automatically.

Um, no.

People that train physically are guilty of this a lot.

As are career minded folk.

Probably thanks to the myriad of articles that talk about the transfer of success in the weights room or board room to every other area.

Only it DOES NOT HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY.

Yes, the skills are highly transferable.

Enormously so.

But not magically so!

You still have to reapply everything, in every single area you wish success in.

BUT, if you have found continual success in one area, you should be able to re-map that process faster.

And remember, start SMALL.

We want very, very small leaps of progress.

How small?

Well let’s use an example:

You wish to get fitter.

You figure the gym is a good place to start.

But you are TERRIFIED of going to the gym.

The PBs can actually start right here…

You decide to leave the house or work and just go into the gym car park (and not go in!) just three times that week.

The following week, go to the gym car park four times. (Gym car park PB!)

The next week, fives times…

Then the next week, go through the gym door for the first time, maybe just once that week (although more would be better)

And so on, until you are actually training there, maybe on your own, maybe in a class.

This may seem like an extreme example but it’s these sorts of barriers that stop people dead.

PB everything you can.

Oh and keep your standards too.

Don’t cheapen the PB by allowing others things to slip (like not squatting low enough!)

Take my word on this, recognizable progress makes you happy!

See you at the gym!

Happy I hope!