June 26th, 2016
As we end our series on Habits of Excellence, we focus on Minimum vs. Maximum. This is a theory of developing the habit of giving your maximum effort & always pushing to exceed your previous best performances. When you push yourself to your current maximum and then strive for 10% improvement, you constantly raise the bar on your personal best. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you get in the habit of giving a minimal effort and accept less than your best, this can also become your habit. If you’re not careful, before you know it, your minimum will become your maximum. I see this often with students who fail to practice and then make excuses rather than accept responsibility.
Never allow your minimums to become your maximums. If you begin to accept less than your best, on the mat or off, it will soon become habit. Instead of developing “Habits of Excellence” you’ll be developing “Habits of Mediocrity.” It’s been said that the way you do anything, is often the way you do everything. Look at the habits you develop and practice in your Martial Arts, as habits you are developing for improving your entire life. The next time you stretch, go a little further. The next time you spar, get busier and try to take your game to a higher level. The next time you practice your Hyung, do it at performance level and you will soon find yourself reaching our personal best. It is not necessarily about more but less done better!
Look at everything you do, on and off the mat, think about how you can do it better. In the dojang…what can you do to pick up the pace to improve your skills and conditioning? At work…can you arrive a little earlier, stay a little later and increase your productivity?
Habits we Train are Habits we Gain!