Legs shaking, body tense and fighting through the pain; it’s an incredibly satisfying feeling to push yourself to your limit. In fact, it’s rare that people explore the edges of their capabilities. When was the last time you found your breaking point and celebrated it?
Each week at school, my daughter’s 7th-grade fitness class had a different challenge to test their endurance. One week, the twenty boys and girls in her class had to stand against a wall and hold a squat for as long as possible.
60 seconds – 5 kids dropped.
2 minutes – 7 more, done.
3 minutes – 4 gave up.
5 minutes – 2 bit the dust
7 minutes – One boy, one girl. Everyone gathered around.
7 minutes and 15 seconds – One remained, my daughter.
8 minutes and 38 seconds – My daughter sat down and celebrated her effort.
When she told me about her result, I asked her why she kept going when everyone else was done?
She said that at first, she wanted to be the winner and get the highest score.
Then when she was the best, why did she keep on going?
It was a no-brainer for her. She wanted to do her personal best and see how far she could push herself.
Mindset matters. Set a low bar or a high one – up to you.
As leaders, parents and small business owners we’re often obsessed with one-upping the competition and ignore the inner game completely.
What if…
I’m not saying that you should ignore the competition or pretend that they don’t exist, but you should think twice about where you’re putting your focus and your energy.
Essentially, here’s the choice:
You can beat the competition or you can rock your world, create, challenge, imagine, hustle, and push yourself to swim in the uncharted waters and leave the competition behind. (By the way, if you’re interested in making the competition irrelevant, make sure that Blue Ocean Strategy is on your reading list.)
You can beat the competition by inches or miles – your choice.
The Mindset You Need to Make 2017 a Success
It’s your personal best that matters more than keeping an eye on the competition. Feel your heart beating, your legs shaking, your brain telling you that it’s okay to stop and keep going anyway.
The comfort zone is important for rest and recovery , but the only person who can explore the edges of what’s possible and blow them away is you.
Make 2017 the year you be and do your personal best no matter the competition is doing. Leave behind the days of doing just enough and see how far you can go.
Nobody ever changed the world by doing the minimum.
If you don’t know what your personal best looks like or it’s been a long time since you’ve flexed those muscles, now is the time. Put your back against the wall and discover what you can do.
If you want a loving push, let’s talk.
What mindset do you have now and what are you committed to in 2017?