LDVs

The above picture is one of many variations on a theme which all illustrate the same important concept, namely, that "spontaneous success" is anything but spontaneous.  It is the result of tireless, often frustrating effort, focused on a goal.  As we watch the Rugby World Cup in Japan and prepare for the upcoming Olympics we are inspired by the athletes on the podium.  We love and respect their achievements and envy their great success.  It's entirely possible that they envy our freedom.  Instead of being able to watch Netflix, go out with friends, sleep in and so on they are at training.  Every waking moment is focused on achieving their goal.  Even then, the path is full of injury, disappointment, setback --- suffering.

It's easy to imagine these champions as Gods, larger than life and certainly larger than us.  In fact, despite some innate talent or good genes, almost all of them started as ordinary people.  People just like us.  Whether it is their skill at football, fencing or gymnastics these skills were developed over long hours of practice with diligent coaches.  Competing at such an elite level involves micromanagement of every facet of their lives from sleep to diet to exercise - every minute of every day carefully controlled to help deliver the optimal result.

I am a huge believer in the power of habits.  Habits can facilitate goal achievement just as easily as they can destroy effort.  By establishing positive habits, especially those involving time management, I believe we are all able to achieve our goals and reach our personal definition of success.  Just like the theory of time value of money which we are taught in finance, the power of compounding over time yields tremendous wealth.  In our personal lives, the compounding of effort and habit, over time, brings enormous benefit that is impossible to measure day by day.

Our lives are punctuated by moments of extremes.  We have many exceptional moments when we win a sports match, graduate school, get married, have children (and see success repeated for them).  These great joys give our lives meaning and purpose.  We also experience moments of great hardship and loss, with many setbacks that can seem insurmountable.  In these moments we discover our strength and fortitude and  truly recognize the support of those who believe in us.  We recover.  We overcome.

The danger is not in these moments, I think, but in the other 99% of our lives.  The time in-between these big events.  The "boring" every day that we go to work and pay our bills.  How do we keep motivated in the 99% of our lives??

I believe good habit-forming is founded on reinforcing good behaviors every day.  For me, this means finding "micro-goals" which accumulate to become little daily victories (LDVs).

Honestly, some days it is a big victory just to get out of bed and go to work.  I encourage small, quiet celebration/affirmation of these LDVs whenever possible.  Even if it is just a mental praise of oneself saying "well done!" it helps to establish a positive reinforcement of good behavior.  Rewarding good behaviors rather than punishing bad behaviors is the key to successful goal setting and achievement.  Our monkey minds need to be regularly convinced by evidence of correctness to keep believing in ourselves.

Even as leaders, I think it is far better to catch employees doing something right than it is to micromanage them looking for something to criticize or correct.  In the end, a positive culture will always outperform a negative one.

In the martial arts context, there are always a million reasons to miss class or skip training outside of the dojo.  You deserve praise (especially self-praise) when you overcome your distractions, your laziness, your complacency and just go to class despite any aches and pains or work overtime that may be on your mind.

Every day we can find something, even small, worthy of celebration.  Every day we can make a decision, even a minor one, that aligns with our goals and moves us a little closer to them.  Every day we can discover a way of connecting to those around us, which enhances our value and helps us feel part of the bigger picture.  Success is not always a home run hit.  Sometimes it is just showing up to practice day after day until the home run comes (and it will).

Keep believing.  Keep celebrating.  Find your LDVs.

See you at class.