SigmaU Blog

The other day I was doing a yoga session and the instructor asked us to intentionally lengthen our tailbone. In doing so, I felt a stretch that I had never experienced before, even while doing that same posture which I had done a dozen times before.

It got me thinking, how many times I’ve failed to see the micro-steps and shifts and how much they impact my progress.

I realized that micro steps are a huge part of personal development and high-performance living.

The challenge is that we fail to see the power of micro steps.

We insist that we must have huge stretch goals, from where we are to where we're going to be successful. And that's simply not true. In high performance coaching, we gauge our current circumstances on a scale of one through ten. We don’t coach clients to jump from a three to a nine, instead we ask what would take you from a three to a five. The micro steps help us gain necessary momentum to keep pushing.

There are micro steps we can...

Think of your ideal life, your ultimate goal or current target. How badly do you want it?

Most people will say that they are committed but their attitudes, and more importantly their actions, don’t back their claims.

I get it. It takes courage to call your shot and when you do, you must follow through. No one is coming to save you or even cheer you on when you need it. That’s an unpopular statement but true and if you do have someone in your corner cheering you on, that’s a rare and beautiful gift. Embrace it!

As high performers, you and I must be committed to the process, call our shots, and then work relentlessly to make it happen!

What inevitably holds most people back?

We’ve been “sold” the lie that it should be easy!

It’s not going to be easy. You’re not going to have balance for a certain amount of time and you’re going to get knocked down time and time again. Too many people promote a que sera sera lifestyle, what will be...

Don’t delay your greatness another day, step into the best of who you could be today.

Easier said then done? Well, let’s see…

What holds us back

What holds us back from living a life of excellence? Perhaps we believe that this is reserved for a select few high achievers? Maybe we’re afraid that we don’t have the time or resources to live an extraordinary life? Perhaps you’ve tried living a structured disciplined life and it exhausted you?

For most, shying away from greatness often results in a desire to stay in our comfort zones.  Sometimes, it’s easier to tow the line of what we know than it is to radically change things up.  There’s safety in the mundane but there isn’t excitement! I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live a life that requires challenge, courage and discipline than a life of expectant boredom.

How do we go about changing things up? 

Paint of picture of the status quo.

What would...

To change who we are, we need to change our identity.  If we don’t, we stay stuck in our past patterns and habits. 

New Name

Often, we must change our name. What does that mean? For some people who have always struggled with their weight, perhaps that's going from I'm a person who says, “I always needs to work out otherwise I will get fat.” Instead, they change their identity through their name, “I'm an athlete!” Shed any identity that doesn’t serve your future best self.

New Routine

If you previously struggled with your weight like I have and have decided to identify as an athlete, your actions follow your new identify. Your routine is that of an athlete. Do they laze around on the couch, eat Doritos, and binge tv all day? Absolutely not! An athlete has a routine which includes regularly scheduled fitness routines. They most likely get up early, work out to win the day, eat like an athlete, hydrate like an athlete and honour their body...

Perhaps the Struggle is the gift!

What if the challenge that you and I are facing is the very thing that we need to develop excellent character?

I’m going to go back a few years to my childhood, the first time I experience a major frustration and struggle. I was probably eleven years old, and I desperately want the new white BMX bike with blue and orange neon splatter, full eighties style!

I went to my stepdad and begged him for it.  Being the smart man that he is, he sat me down and explained the cost.  He then said that I could have it if I was willing to contribute. I didn’t make any money so what did that mean? I got a weekly allowance and that’s how I would chip in. 

You must picture this, he’s the senior auditor at a bank, he pulls me aside each Saturday morning and we go through the ledger of accounts! He shows me how many weeks worth of allowances I’ve contributed and the balance remaining to cover half of the $250 bike.

...

Once of the fastest ways to cure anxiety is to live in alignment with the best of who you could be.

When we're out of alignment with who we want to be, or are striving to be, we feel anxious, unmotivated, and sometimes even helpless.

I've seen this with myself and coaching clients. When there's awareness and action taken to increase discipline, I see an instant shift.

The challenge is that it's easy to stay in a self-destructive rut which leads to anxiety. 

Here are some of the signs that we're out of alignment:

• Not following through on promises we make to ourselves or others (big and small, they matter)
• Not giving our best professionally or personally 
• Leaving loose ends and procrastinating
• Living with less intention and discipline 

How do we know we're in alignment?

• We're clear on our path and purpose and we're living with daily intention to serve that purpose.
• We insulate ourselves from negative forces like the news, social media, and other toxic outlets. We...

We need to be bold to reach our dreams.

When I say bold, it will have a different meaning for each of us. For some, being bold is having a difficult conversation. For others, it may mean leaving a job or partner to pursue a dream. Some may consider leaving the country bold, while others may consider speaking up in a meeting to be bold action. Each of us will face circumstances that require us to be bold to reach our goals and live our full potential.

In High Performance Coaching™ we talk about living a fully charged life! Part of that life is living with boldness. We can live in a place where we feel caged, as though we don’t have control and we’re not living anywhere near our potential. Then we can live a comfortable life, where we go through the motions, nothing too daring, nothing too exciting either. I would encourage us to live a fully charged life and that requires being bold!

B – Brazen Action

When I looked up the definition of brazen it was tied to...

When we're faced with resistance, we can either give up or rise up. 

Many of us have been sold a lie that life is supposed to be easy. There’s a great Buddhist quote that says, “Life is suffering.” While that seems a little bit grim, I think that we are often told that life is supposed to be easy and when we’re faced with resistance or a challenge, we think something is wrong with our purpose, life, or goals.

The reality is that life is faced with obstacles and resistance all the time. I remember a trainer saying that we’re either coming out of crisis, in the middle of it or heading into it! We can either accept it and give up or accept it and rise up!

When we give up, we start to question our dreams. Is this even feasible? Do I have the skill set? Do I really need to reach this goal? Was it too big a goal in the first place?

We give up when we start denying that we wanted it in the first place. We think, “well that was just a...

What if we looked at pain differently to take back our power?

Without going into details, I've been through some seriously painful life altering moments and stressful situations over the past 2 years. The body doesn't lie – you know you're experiencing high levels of stress when your resting heart rate is in the red while you're sleeping.

I recently had a friend ask how I was holding things together, I responded that it was my habits and reframing that was saving me.

Here's how you and I can look at pain in a new way:

P- PURPOSE 

 What if the challenge or crisis you're currently experiencing is a necessary part of the process. What if you must go through the storm to build the strength necessary for the next battle ahead or to appreciate the reward with deep reverence?

A- AWARENESS 

What if the pain you're experiencing is intended to create more awareness? Is your body telling you to slow down but you keep ignoring it? Is the challenge you're...

Many of us see others and put them on pedestals. We assume that they know more than us and have an advantage when it comes to realizing their goals and dreams.

The reality is that you and I are equally as equipped or we can develop the skills required to make the same things happen.

Clarity is Key.

You need to know what you want in finite detail so that you can start acting the part of the person it would take to achieve that goal. Clarity will also keep you on course. You’ll have awareness around who and what will hinder or help you inch closer to your goals.

Faith is Imperative.

Having faith that it’s possible is incredibly important. If you don’t believe it for yourself, no one else will believe it either. Have faith that you will accomplish your goal. One important note, as the good book says “faith without works is dead.” We have to take diligent action in pursuit of our goals. We cannot pray for a miracle; we have to be an active participant!...