As you hopefully know, our goal is to help you “Close the Gap” to becoming the best version of yourself. We have been focusing on the idea of “kaizen” as an approach to help you to close that gap and get a little stronger each day.
Today, I would like to connect that idea with a few others starting with a concept from Stoic philosophy. In David Fideler’s book, Breakfast with Seneca, he writes,”Progressor is a translation of the ancient Greek term for a student of Stoicism, a prokoptōn, or ‘one who makes progress.’ Since none of the Stoic philosophers claimed to be perfect sages but tried to make progress each and every day through the use of self-reflection and various exercises, all of the Stoic philosophers were progressors.”
He continues by saying: “In the end, to make progress as a human being, you must first realize that you are imperfect (or have reason to improve) and, second, have a desire to improve. It’s no coincidence that one of Seneca’s most frequently used words in his letters is ‘progress,’ or making progress toward wisdom. And as he concluded, ‘most of progress consists in the desire to make progress.’ For without that desire, progress itself is impossible.”
My interpretation of this is that we first have to realize and accept that we all have “gaps” and we then have to have the ‘desire” to close them in order to make progress.
This may be an oversimplification but here are a few reasons why I believe most people get “stuck.”
- Seeking comfort- It is easier to say that I am doing my “best’ than to accept that I am capable of giving greater effort which I fear will be really, really hard.
- Inability or unwillingness to see the gap– one of the qualities of a great coach is their ability to see “gaps” where you may not see them. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have them but not all of them are easily identified. A coach can bring them to your attention. However, only “you” can choose to close them.
- Lack of hope or belief that you are capable of making progress– This is the one that can be very tricky and one that I now believe is one of the main culprits halting progress.
- Lack of Energy- here is another area that I have gained a new perspective on more recently. If your system is metabolically maladapted and you are unable to produce energy effectively, this can be a major culprit halting progress and should be the priority “gap” to close before all others.
Let’s take a look at the Motivation Equation to see how some of these ideas connect.
MOTIVATION = ENERGY X (VALUE X EXPECTANCY) / (IMPULSIVITY X DELAY)
We would replace Motivation with “Desire.” We could also replace expectancy with Hope and Belief. If we do so, you will quickly see that motivation or desire is going to be drastically reduced if you don’t believe or have hope that progress is possible. It is our goal to help give you hope and help you to believe that your progress is possible.
If you don’t have energy, your motivation will also be drastically reduced. This is why we have made a shift in our approach and are dedicating half our new training space to tools to help you enhance your “ENERGY.”
For some, we realize that the “Metabolic Reboot’ combined with the “Superhuman Protocol” will precede intense exercise. A feeling of greater energy and well being leads to greater motivation and desire, which ultimately leads to progressing to becoming a better, stronger, more resilient version of yourself.