Be authentically excellent "useful" in your local immediate world. THIS is your first priority!
Channel: Tom Herbert | useful. / usefulcoach
Date: 2018-04-26

This is an off-the-cuff presentation that has been floating around in my head for some time now. I realised that if I didn't get it out soon (for the sake of doing it perfectly), I may never get it out at all. So it's better out imperfectly, then never out because I couldn't do it perfectly.

The big idea is that if we focus too much and too far out of our own local immediate "world" and sphere of influence, we may collapse in on ourselves. No bueno.

There is constructive comparison, that is looking at the best people in their fields, being inspired, and using that comparison to build yourself up, refining and improving what you do. Comparison that increases the excellence of what you do in your local immediate "world".

Then there is destructive comparison,  that is judging yourself in comparison to what others do, and imploding inwards because you don't come close to their level, experience, quality, education, client-base, etc. This comparison decreases your excellence because it often causes you to think "what's the point when so-and-so is doing it better", etc. 

This destructive comparison impacts your service in your local immediate "world" because you are soo focused on what you don't do and can't do, that ironically what you do do well, and can do well, actually suffers. Worst is that it can cause a negatively spiral and your service actually gets worse, which causes further self-destructive thoughts and behaviour, and onwards down the hole.

To try and summerise as simply as possible, I will quote Coach David Joyce who I once heard say...

"To be a success, concentrate on being excellent before you concentrate on being successful."

So do look outwards to the best in their fields for inspiration for being excellent within you local immediate "world". 

Don't look outwards, compare yourself, and then collapse inwards from not being good enough in comparison.

Be authentically excellent "useful" in your local immediate world! THIS is your first priority. Everything else follows that.

Anyway I hope this at least stimulated some thought, and perhaps I will do an article on this with better diagrams and explanation one day.

-- 
Tom Herbert, PT CISSN
Movement and Strength Coaching
Performance and Change Nutrition

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