The little question that will make a BIG difference.

There are very few things in sports more exciting than a “photo finish.” We can’t help but hold our breath as we re-watch athletes cross the finish line, witnessing how close the margin was from 1st to 2nd. I was recently reminded about one of these incredible finishes that took place during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The event was the men’s individual road cycling race in which 132 cyclists from 35 countries competed. The course was a total of 120 miles long and in the last 65 feet spectators witnessed an incredibly dramatic finish, as a mechanic from Italy pushed through all sorts barriers and emerged from the middle of the pack to cross the finish line first with a time of 4:39:51.63. What was amazing about this race was that in second place was a cyclist from Denmark who finished just two-hundredths of a second behind at 4:39:51.65. In fact, the difference between a Bronze medal and 99th place was just two-tenths of a second. One extra crank of the pedal or one little tweak in riding stance could have been the difference from standing on the medal podium and not. Many times in sport, and in life in general, it is the little things that make the biggest difference.

 This attitude is all about persistent improvement and positivity. Here is a simple question you can ask yourself to begin developing this attitude of persistent  improvement.

“What can I do to be 1% better right now?”

Whatever your doing, working out, eating, hanging out with friends or family, whatever it is ask yourself how you can be just 1% better right now and see what happens. Let your mind focus on what you can do to improve, even just a little things, it will make a big difference if you follow through. It is all about doing the little things. We have heard this a lot, but have you considered why we hear this a lot? It is because it is true! By doing the little things we train our minds to stay focused on the process and keep a positive perspective. Consider how much better your next game or performance will be if you focused on being just 1% better every practice, every workout, every meal, every moment. If your working out and you hit the proverbial wall, tell yourself to do 1% more. If your at practice think about what you can do to increase your technique by just 1% right now.

Typically the answer to this questions is different for everyone, for some it might be to do one more rep for others to do another set, whatever you do focus on improvement and positivity. It is not about overexertion or pushing to the point of possible injury, it is about consistently getting better, 1% at a time.

Focus on persistent improvement, by focusing on the little things you can improve now will certainly make a big difference in the future. Keep in mind that it is not about focusing on the numerical side of 1%, avoid doing the math of how long it will take for you to get to 100% by being 1% better, it is not about the numbers but more about a mindset shift that will focus on sustaining your peak performance. It is all about persistent improvement, not matter how small.

This little question can make a big difference. What can you do to be 1% better right now?

If you want to learn more, you can also check out our podcast, Peak Performance Principles to learn more about doing the little things