1% Better

   While reading "Linchpin" by Seth Godin, I stumbled upon a paragraph he had about perfection. In the book he talks about it being a asymptote, in the sense that you can come close to perfect but never really reach it. This is the same concept as that of the road to Mastery. It is a journey not a destination. You continue to strive for it knowing that it will always be out of reach.

So why is this blog titled 1%?

I have often heard fitness professionals talking about getting 1% better every day. And while this sounds attainable and catchy, is it REALLY possible? I believe it is, but only up to a certain point. I will give you an example by using my personal journey in the world of Movement by learning Animal Flow. 

When I first started learning the Animal Flow program I was super excited. It was fun to learn the moves and put them together in a flow of constant movement. I was motivated and saw quick results. You can say I was getting 1% better everyday I practiced. This went on for the first few months. But there were some really tough hand balancing moves that I just could not seem to get. After a few months of practicing the program I got discouraged and went back to lifting and doing things I was good at. I was no longer seeing that 1% change day by day. 

One day the Animal Flow creator, Mike Fitch, reached out to me to be part of his Master Instructor crew. We talked a few times and he had heard some good things about me via some good friends. I jumped at the opportunity even though I had all but stopped my practice. Once I was part of the team I picked up the practice again. This time I had no choice but to continue to practice. I was being paid to perform the movements and I also did not want to look bad in front of a crowd. So I went all in and something magical began to happen. 

I started to gain a whole new respect for the program. The same old moves were no longer the same. My body began to develop a deeper understanding for the movements. The 1% change that I was seeking was not always visible to the outside world but I could feel it. I had more control over my movement and I was able to train for longer periods of time. Once again, on the superficial level none of my improvement was visible. 

I kept at it till I was finally able to do harder and more advanced moves. This opened up a whole new window of QUICK 1% daily improvements. I was posting like crazy on social media all the new moves I was able to do. But then I hit the WALL again. No more quick changes. I was doing the same old moves and could not seem to improve. My daily 1% increases came to a stop and I was back to just practicing to practice and not look silly in public. 

The cycle of the 1% increase was starting all over again. This time I knew what was going on.  I have come to realize that the road to 50% better is always fast. But you will eventually hit a plateau. This is what separates the good from the great. The greats know that if they keep working at their craft, there will be another spike in increased performance. Followed by another plateau. This cycle of the 1% is what seems to stop so many from achieving greatness. They quit when the daily  improvements stop. As Seth Godin says in the book, "...the last 1 percent takes almost as long to achieve as the first 98 percent did.". 

I have read about soft tissue adaptations to movement and how long it takes your body to create a new normal. You also have the central nervous system learning new things and creating new pathways to improve your performance. Much of this is to blame for the plateaus. However, I like to think of these times as the gatekeeper to those who really want it and those who just kinda want it. If you want something, you will continue to pursue it no matter what. While others don't see change, you know deep down that something is changing. You know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Your vision shows you what they can't see because its not their vision to have. It was given to you to achieve and its up to you to make it a reality. So keep pushing, keep fighting for that 1% percent. You will never reach 100 but one day you will look back and realize that you have become the top 1% in your field. How's that for irony?