The 90%: The Lounge podcast; TCU's underfrogs; Meliora and Kaizen

Welcome back to The 90%!

Ninety percent of waking life is going about your business. It’s a meeting at work, small talk while picking up your kids at school. David Brooks wrote these words in a New York Times column entitled,"The Essential Skills for Being Human." It's definitely worth a read.

Perspiration

Last week, I had the opportunity to appear on Sarah the Pivoter's podcast, The Lounge. Sarah and I connected last summer at Heroic Public Speaking. She's a fascinating individual and a leading speaker in the business aviation space. We discussed optimizing performance, my performance blueprint model, and dispelled a myth along the way. You can check out the episode here (58:32).

Inspiration

The TCU women's basketball team started the season with a 14 game win streak and rose to #23 in the nation. It was a dramatic turnaround from last year's 8-23 record. Then, the injury bug bit - hard. As the injuries mounted, TCU was left with only six available players (and two of those were on limited minutes coming off injuries). The Horned Frogs were forced to forfeit two conference games in January. As grad transfer guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu said, "You can either cry, or you can laugh about it." Coach Mark Campbell held open tryouts, and over 50 students showed up. Out of that group, four players were selected, allowing the team to scrimmage 5-on-5 and providing backups should another injury arise. Sarah Sylvester, a star on the TCU volleyball team, was the first. She was joined by Piper Davis, an Idaho state champion in high school, Mekhayia Moore, a Texas state champion, and Ella Hamlin, a local Texas star.

Moving up to Division I basketball is a steep learning curve under normal circumstances. These young women had just five days to prepare for the first game, a thrilling victory over UCF. They have embraced the opportunity to return to the game they love, a possibility that didn't exist a month ago. The scholarship players recognize the joy and energy that the walk-ons bring to the team, and they have been inspired by their sacrifice and commitment to the good of the team. Meanwhile, the coaching staff has preached positivity and making the most of the hand they've been dealt. Describing the situation as, "this stressful, comical, crazy, wild, midyear thing that just got thrust upon us that you can't prepare for," the staff has shown remarkable flexibility and adaptability. Rather than moan about their bad luck, they have found the teaching process "refreshing" and "fun." Recognizing that this experience will ultimately make the team stronger, the Horned Frogs are building a mindset that will serve them well going forward. With additional players anticipated to return by the end of the season, keep an eye on this team.

Preparation

Meliora is a Latin adjective that means "better." As a noun, it can be translated, "for the pursuit of better." For many people, "better" is equated with the outcome. If you want a better outcome, however, your process needs to get better first. This is where the Japanese concept of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, becomes important. The pictogram for kaizen consists of two images. The first represents change, and the second stands for good - or literally, change for the better. Whether it's your sport, your job, school, or even your personal life, it is the pursuit of improvement that leads to change for the better.

When completing a practice or performance, consider asking these questions:

What went well?
What could get better?
How could it be done better?
What's your plan to get better?

I think you'll find that the use of these questions will provide direction and drive a positive growth trajectory.

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