Step 1: It’s the Base that’s Important

“Somewhere there is a map of how it can be done.” — Ben Stein

READ IT

I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. When I say small, it’s a place that when I did something wrong at 10:00 pm – my folks knew about it before I got home at 10:15! It was known as the “Hay Capital of the World” and to this day, it still is. We even have “Hay Days” to celebrate the distinguished title.

In a town of 400 folks, you don’t find a summer job at a McDonalds or a Taco Bell. To make money in our town, you did what you did if you were a young man growing up in the “Hay Capital of the World” – you piled hay. (There is even a Facebook page in honor of our town; Stackers –Stuffers–Buckers! Check it out!)

haymarch3I don’t know if you are familiar with piling or stacking hay. But in the 70’s we would pile, stack, or load it on trucks, in barns, in fields, on trailers, in enclosed furniture semi-trucks…you name it – we put hay on it, in it, under it, and on top of it! The hay we handled and loaded were small bales, called square bales; even though they weren’t square and at 80-100 pounds per bale, at times they didn’t seem small! Locals fondly labeled those wire bundles “Idiot Blocks”. (Years later, my brothers and cousins wondered, if they were called idiot blocks, what did the people in town call the folks that carried them around?)

No matter where we stacked the bales, the early lesson taught was that the most important thing to stacking bales was to make sure the base was right. My dad use to say “It’s the bottom tier (base or bales at the bottom) that’s important. If that’s off, when you get to the top you’ll have problems.” He was right. If we took the time and effort to make sure the bales were started correctly, the whole process was easier and we had fewer problems as we worked. If we hurried, and we just set the bales down without maneuvering into a strong base – as the stack went up, it would be a struggle to make the bales fit in place, and at times, even have the stack stay up.

Performance is a lot like stacking hay! It’s the base that is important. If you start off on the right foot, get some help and have an understanding of your program, what you’re doing, why you’re doing what you’re doing and how doing it will benefit you – you’ll have greater success as you “stack things up” and add more to the program. Just as it took time to build the base and then put tier after tier to build the hay stack, with performance it’s about taking small steps and seeing small gains until you’ve constructed the components that make up a better you! You can’t rush the process and be in a hurry, or the whole thing may tumble. Just like a hay stack, the different parts of your performance are under construction and the bigger and more stable the base, the more stable the structure will be and the higher the peak you’ll achieve! It takes time, dedication and some work, as it did putting up those bales, but what we found was the more hay we stacked, the easier it became. We learned how to handle the bales, how to use our bodies to move around the stack and how to do things the best and quickest way possible. You can do the same with your performance program – if you stick with it over the long haul.

DO IT

This week, start to learn to build a base in your area of Performance Improvement.

Pick an area you want to make a change in, get better at, or work on. Maybe it’s in the physical realm and you want to start to work out or get back to working out. Maybe you need to change up your workout. In the social realm, maybe you’ve wanted to join a certain group or get more involved with an organization. You might be looking to develop from the emotional standpoint and want to find someone to share your ideas with.

Find an expert in the area you are looking to make a change or work toward improving. Look for a mentor that has taken the steps before you and can show you how to build the bottom tier of your success stack. Contact them and set up a meeting THIS WEEK. Maybe it’s a personal trainer, maybe it’s the president of a club, maybe it’s a counselor who can give insight on your situation and will give true and correct feedback. Make an appointment and get with them NOW. Don’t just send an email either! Anyone can send an email. Reach out and make a personal phone call. Better yet, stop by and meet the person face to face. SET UP THAT MEETING!

At the meeting, tell them exactly what you want to do, what you want to accomplish. Lay out what you want – know and see your future vision. This may take some time, but taking the time now will mean a lot to the person that is taking their time to help you out – and it will help during your other 51 Steps! Plan for the meeting and put your dream on paper – they will help you build the first tier to your base of success. ALSO – MAKE A VIDEO OF YOURSELF SAYING YOUR GOALS! (get a video camera or find a friend that has one, use your Iphone, smartphone or some other device!) If nothing else, do a voice message to yourself and proclaim your affirmation! I AM ____________ YOU FILL IN THE BLANK! Watch the video or play the audio each day. If possible in the morning when you get up and in the evening before you go to bed! (Remember -you can have more than one goal and give yourself more than one affirmation.)

–Coach Rozy