| Kuro-kuro Ko Lamang |
by: Rtn.
Chuck Montecillo
In every human
being, there is an inborn desire to do well.
Whether it be in sports, speech, dance, crafts or
any other activity, the desire to do well is
present.
For example, in basketball or volleyball, to be
good in these sports, the individual must
constantly practice. Doing drills, practice
games, weight training and endurance training to
maintain peak performance. Anything less, will
reflect in the athlete's ability to perform at
his/her best.
Weight lifters are on a very strict regimen. Not
only do they train endlessly, but their diet and
sleep are also regulated to get the most out of
their bodies.
Race car drivers also go through rigorous
training and practice. When not in the car, their
minds are constantly thinking of where they can
subtract that extra 10th of a second in their lap
times. Some drivers even start "phsyching
out" other drivers during social encounters.
Like these athletes, there is one common
denominator, focus. They all have a goal that
they want to attain and will do ALL that is
necessary to achieve it. Very often, they
sacrifice some parts of their lives to maintain
peak performance.
Now, I'm sure this is great for whatever activity
they maybe involved in, but there is more to life
than just being the best in one area. The key to
peak performance, in everything, is balance.
You can be the best dancer in the world, or even
the greatest artist in history, but if you don't
perform well in any other area in your life, then
you won't be happy. To sacrifice the rest of your
life for just one skill or talent is a waste of
resources.
One example of this type of person is the late
Ayrton Senna. To many Formula One fans, he is
deemed the greatest driver that ever lived. But,
in his life, he had had no real friends, he lost
his family and none of the other competitors
really liked him. As a matter of fact, even the
FIA (the race organizers of F1 racing) disliked
him, not only on a professional level, but also
on a personal level.
Can you imagine a life like that? Admired for one
thing and despised for everything else. Sounds
like a very lonely life to me.
Excellence in life doesn't have to mean
sacrificing something for another. I am a great
believer in having your cake and eating it too.
So, how does one attain this?
Here's the key. The trick to getting the most out
of yourself is changing your focus. Everything
that we do in life, we are motivated by two
forces, pain and pleasure. Think of it. It
applies to EVERYTHING that we do. Stated simply,
we do what gives pleasure, and we avoid what
gives pain.
We watch movies because it is pleasurable. It
makes us happy. People don't stand in front of
buses, waiting to get run over because that would
mean extreme pain.
This is a basic instinct that comes packaged in
all of us. It allows humans and animals alike, to
avoid dangerous situations. But, in humans, this
is not always true. For example, smoking, a very
dangerous and life threatening activity. People
smoke despite all the hazards that come with it.
Why? Because it gives pleasure to those who
smoke. The pleasure out weighs the danger, or the
pain.
With that in mind, you can see that EVERYTHING
that we do is dictated by what we perceive to be
pleasurable or painful. Even the simplest things
can seem painful to some. Like taking the bus or
walking around the block. No big deal to others,
but painful enough to avoid for some.
Remember those athletes I mentioned earlier? The
training and practice that they endure is painful
for most people to go through. But to them it is
MORE painful not to go through that training
because it will hinder their chances of attaining
their goal. To them, that is the pleasure that
they are thinking about. The payback of all the
training and practice, being the BEST in what
they do.
In the pursuit of excellence, in any field, one
must go through some pain to attain an even
greater pleasure. The trick is to look at any
situation and see the PAIN and the PLEASURE. Then
you decide which motivates your action. Focus on
the motivation that will EMPOWER you, not the one
that will LIMIT you. In any situation that you
encounter, there is always pleasure. Find it and
let that be your motivation to excellence. |
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