OVERRIDING “AUTO PILOT”

“We want big sexy gains, but there is much more power in the small, dirty, and unsexy marginal gains added up and compounded over time.  Don’t fall for the trap everyone else does.  Focus on pounding the stone and finding all those little improvements and trust the process.” – Joshua Medcalf, author. 

What small improvement can you make today?

It’s easy to put improvement to the side.  We start work and get into a routine.  Our brains like routine.  Routines and habits are easier on the brain.  So, believe it or not, left without challenge our brains will guide us to auto pilot every single time.

The beauty of being human is that you can override “auto pilot.”  At any given moment, we can say to ourselves “try harder,” “go faster,” “do different.”  We know that to be true.  We’ve all experienced it.

Big changes and big differences inspire us.  But, what Medcalf points out is that solid, sustainable improvement comes in small steps.  He calls them “Small.”  “Dirty.”  “Unsexy.”

He says that is the path to improvement and personal records.  Get a little better each day.  Do it on purpose.  Override that “auto pilot” and decide you’re going to get better.