“CANI”

Last Tuesday all of us pitched in our red tops for step class, very excited about the prospect of recording another stunning routine.   My brand-new Gopro Hero 8 action camera proved why it`s called an incredible powerhouse.   Everything was perfect, except for one thing…Just as I was saying goodbye to the Zoom members, I accidentally deleted the audio file of the recording.  That, of course, meant only one thing – we had to reschedule.

(Let me quickly explain – I always use the audio program, Audacity, to record my voice and the music.  Although it`s quite tricky and time consuming to sync the video footage with the audio afterwards, it ensures that the audio quality of our videos on social media and YouTube is always of the highest quality.)

I guess I could have settled for the audio of the Gopro just that one time, but it would really not be the same.  Furthermore, our step videos are the most watched videos on our YouTube channel, and we often receive comments specifically complimenting us on our music compilations and high audio quality.

Luckily no one seemed to mind to repeat the class again two days later, but because of another severe hailstorm hitting our town Thursday afternoon just when we were about to start, the ladies in red had to scatter home and class was cancelled.  Hopefully, it will be third time lucky for us this coming Thursday!

…I recently read a Blog post by the British equestrian mental coach, Annette Paterakis.  She asks: “Are you putting the bar too high?”, and then explains that we should not let our expectations become the kind of pressure that pushes us down instead of lifting us up to rise to the occasion.  That can keep us constantly running to achieve more.

I suppose there IS a thin line between setting the bar too high and having incredibly high standards for yourself, but I think I would have to agree with the well-known American author Tony Robbins, on this one.  He says: “If you don`t set a baseline standard for what you`ll accept in life, you`ll find it easy to slip into a quality of life that`s far below what you deserve.”

In his book “Awaken the giant within” he calls it C.A.N.I: Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.  CANI is a habit. It’s not about perfection. It’s simply about being one percent better than you were the day before, because by improving the little things day after day consistently, over time, they become the BIG things.

He also says: “It`s your decisions, not your conditions that determine your destiny…”  And that reminds me of “The Other Wes Moore….”  In this book the author recounts the following story:   Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other.  Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods.  Both hung out on street corners with their crews and both ran into trouble with the police.  How then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes scholar, decorated veteran and business leader, while the other ended up a convicted murder serving a life sentence?

The author of the book is actually Wes Moore himself – the Rhodes Scholar. 

So, what made the two guys so different?  Wes Moore recounts meeting the other Wes Moore in prison.  He asked the inmate if he thought that where he grew up made the difference in who he became.  To which the prisoner replied: “No.  It’s not the place or the environment, but the expectations you put on yourself.  What you expect of yourself determines what you do with yourself…”

Maybe that is what former basketball player, Michael Jordan, meant when he said: “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”  Have you ever thought about that?  Expecting great things of yourself, demanding a little bit more from yourself than anyone else would?

Consider this amazing military study – Army soldiers were assigned to train for three days outside in the freezing Massachusetts winter, where temperatures fell as low as -18 degrees.  Researchers measured the soldiers` expectations – were they dreading the grueling winter training or looking forward to it as a chance to prove themselves?  The researchers discovered that the more soldiers expected to hate the cold weather training, the more stressed and angrier they felt and the worse they performed.  Soldiers who expected to do better were not only more cheerful, they performed better and were even less likely to get injured.

Astonishing isn’t it?  How our expectations for ourselves influence our behaviour.  Isn’t it an empowering thought?  You get to choose whether or not you think you`ll be successful!   As Tony Robbins states further: “You don`t always get your goals, but you always get your standards.”

But how do I raise my standards in everyday life?  It`s turning your “shoulds” into “musts”.  Yes, you should lose weight, yes you should eat healthier, yes you should smoke less.  Until it`s a MUST, it won`t happen.  The problem with it all is just this – it doesn`t happen overnight.

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, and an advocate of high standards, recently wrote this in a newsletter to shareholders:  “Most people,” he said, “think that if they work hard, they should be able to master a handstand in about two weeks. The reality is that it takes about six months of daily practice. If you think you should be able to do it in two weeks, you’re just going to end up quitting.  Unrealistic beliefs on scope – often hidden and undiscussed – kill high standards. To achieve high standards yourself or as part of a team, you need to form and proactively communicate realistic beliefs about how hard something is going to be.”

Once you have raised the bar, don`t allow delay to become denial.  Increase your determination and fail your way to success, inch by inch.  Everyone who has been part of our 9-week Summer Challenge will tell you, setting high standards and aiming to reach goals isn`t as easy as it looks.  It takes time, and effort, and patience.

I have learned so much from our Challenge participants during these last few weeks, and I am so proud of their relentless efforts.  They ARE expecting a lot from themselves.  And many of them are daring to be exceptionally excellent. 

Challenge or no challenge, how are you feeling about these last few months of 2020?  We are all capable of so much more than we think.   Setting high standards make every day worth looking forward to.  CANI – Constant and never-ending improvement, right? 

Set your bar high except when you are doing the limbo.  Set and live up to your own standards.  You decide.  There`s so much freedom in this thought!  But remember that you don`t prosper by maintaining standards; you prosper by maintaining habits. You are what you are not because of what you did; but because of what you keep doing. And promise yourself not to despise the little steps you know you can take every day. There are tiny miracles in each and every one of them. Expect them to happen!

“Whatever you do, do it with passion; learn new things, set new standards. If you fall down, get up; just get going, non-stop. This is how dreams come true.”
            Vikrmn, 10 Golden Steps of Life                                                              

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507