January 4, 2010
The Pringle Theory... from Chapter 10 of The Brower Quadrant Book.
I have been blessed to share quite a few special moments with former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. The John Wooden-coached UCLA teams scaled unprecedented heights that future sports organizations are
unlikely to match. Under his masterful guidance, the Bruins set all-time records with four perfect 30-0 seasons, eighty-eight consecutive victories, thirty-eight straight NCAA tournament victories, twenty PAC 10 championships,
and ten national championships, including seven in a row.
Those who know Coach Wooden best say he is a gifted teacher. I believe he would say that teaching is his passion. Now in his late nineties, Coach Wooden still visits elementary schools, challenging young students to be the best they can be and training them in good sportsmanship. From my perspective, Coach Wooden is someone who walks his talk; he is an inspiration to many. He often shares his Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father when he graduated from elementary school, with all who will listen. Number four of the Creed is “Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.” (Click here for a copy of the Seven Point Creed)
I decided that if the great John Wooden reads from the scriptures daily, I would do exactly the same! I decided to read at least one chapter every night. It wasn’t that I hadn’t attempted this before. In fact, I had attempted this many times, but at some point I would begin missing a day or two. Soon, frustration and discouragement would set in. When I skipped a night, I would tell myself that the following day I planned to read two chapters of scripture. I was determined not to fall behind on my new spiritual quest, and I was certain that I was not going to allow my “goal” to slip away from me. Something would inevitably come up the following day, however, causing me to miss a second night! I would then vow, of course, to read three chapters the following day. Before long, I was so far behind on my “goal” of a chapter a night that I felt worse about my spiritual assets than I ever had before I set the goal! My self-talk would become negative, focused on my failings. I blamed myself for not accomplishing my goal. My focus was on perfection instead of progress. And we all know that perfect is found in only one place—in the dictionary between perestroika and perfecta.
I was learning to look to the system for solutions, rather than lay blame. Yet I continually blamed myself or other circumstances whenever I fell even slightly short of any goal.
I asked myself if I owned the goal. Or was this a goal imposed on me, or perhaps something I was pressured to establish? Do our children set goals that they desire to achieve or that their parents want them to achieve? Salespeople often fear setting goals too high; they may not attain them. They fear setting them too low because they may be fired. Who owns your goals?
A goal must be tied to a realistic vision. A goal without a vision is just a suggestion. I was setting goals without a vision and I was judging my success or failure by daily tasks. Then, it dawned on me. I was focusing on the task and not the vision! I needed to have the why clear to me. If you have a big enough why, you will always find the how. I decided to focus on the outcome, how I would feel and who I was capable of becoming. Did I want to become more spiritually in tune with my Maker? Who understands my potential better than He? Would spending daily time with the “Good Book” move me closer to being more closely aligned with God’s purpose for me?
I remembered Coach Wooden’s advice. Being a high achiever and a chronic “quick start,” I failed to heed his priceless words of wisdom: “Focus on taking just a small step each day.” I wanted to take gigantic steps, not baby steps. But if the existing conditions were not perfect, I would put off the gigantic step until I had more time or the conditions were just right. Like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. The key was to get into motion. A law of physics states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. I decided to focus on getting into motion rather than on taking gigantic steps. Instead of reading a certain number of pages, I asked myself: What step can I take this day that will move me closer to my vision?
I committed to read one verse every day to move me toward my vision. I could easily take this step each day, and I would be reinforced by positive emotions resulting from my progress. How long does it take to read one verse of scripture? Half a minute? Bingo! Step attained and progress noted.
I discovered that once I was in motion, I often reached beyond the minimum set mark. The obstacle was not the number of pages; it was merely opening the book, and getting into motion! It truly was like Pringles potato chips. Who opens up a can of Pringles and eats only one potato chip? It’s nearly impossible. When it comes to Pringles, most of us are over-achievers. The same is true when we have a clear vision, and we take baby steps towards that vision. It often turns out that we take more steps than intended. The difficult part is getting into motion.
For over ten years I have “pringled” the scriptures daily. My focus is on motion, and my steady achievements positively reinforce my vision. I have never read just one verse. Remember, once in motion you will tend to remain in motion. The purpose of a goal is not to serve as a target for some distant date; the most efficient use of a goal is simply to set you in motion. Find your Pringle that will get you into motion towards your desired intentions.
A few years ago, I read a great book entitled Younger Next Year, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. This is a wonderful book—highly informative and motivational. They recommend that men over forty years old work out no less than forty-five minutes, six days a week for the rest of their lives. I was motivated! I wanted to get younger year after year, so I followed their advice: I woke up every morning and asked myself if I want to grow today, or do I want to decay today? I would say this question is highly motivational, wouldn’t you?
Unconsciously, however, I ignored Coach Wooden’s advice, and I set a “goal” to work out for at least forty-five minutes daily. You can probably guess the rest of the story. I missed a day; then, a couple of weeks later, I missed two days in a row. This cycle went on for a couple of months. Yes, I was feeling better, and I think I looked better, but I kept missing days and beating myself up for it every time. Finally, while traveling, I missed a whole week plus a few days. In retrospect, I guess I decided to start over at that point; I just didn’t decide exactly when I would start over. In the meantime, I was losing my confidence.
Then, it dawned on me: I was blaming myself. I remembered what Deming said: “Ninety-four percent of all failure is a result of the system.” I remembered Coach Wooden’s advice about small steps and the Pringle Theory. I needed to establish my vision, visit it frequently, and then just get myself into Pringle-like motion.
I envisioned myself physically fit, in the best shape of my life. I learned my lesson; Instead of committing to a goal of working out an hour a day, I first focused on the “why.” I actually took time each day to visualize myself fit. I got in touch with how I would feel, how I would look and the things I would be able to do. To establish my vision, I literally get in touch with the sensation of confidence as I progress toward the vision.
What step can I take today to move me toward my vision? How about doing one pushup. One measly get-down-on-the-floor pushup. If I’m going to do that, I probably want to get into my workout clothes first. You don’t see too many fitness experts advocating a pushup in street shoes. So, the small step that I can take today to move closer to my vision of being in great physical shape becomes: I declare that, just for today, I am going to put on my workout clothes and do one pushup.
Whether I am at home or on the road, that simple step has overcome virtually all of the obstacles I throw in the path of my personal progress. This has made a huge difference in my ability to sustain my ambitions. Rather than having a dialogue with myself about whether there is enough time to get a good workout (and usually concluding that if I skipped today, I could make up for it tomorrow), I simply put on my workout clothes and do the one pushup. But then I get “pringled.” I might as well do a few more, and soon ten minutes have passed, and I generally reason that I could probably fit in another ten minutes, and before I know it, I have been working out for over thirty minutes, and often fit in much more!
I can assure you since I rethought my approach to goals I have never shown up at a gym dressed in my workout gear, done one pushup and hit the sauna. I hit the treadmill, the weights, whatever I felt like doing on that particular day. And what about those intermittent days when my workout only lasts a short time? I celebrate that I am in motion and moving toward my vision of being in great shape. I’m no longer setting myself up for failure by telling myself that if I don’t work out for a full hour, I haven’t reached my goal. Instead, I am using my vision, and then my progress—the step of “one pushup”— as a means of getting myself in motion.
Goals exist to get us in motion. They serve no other purpose. Along the way toward your vision, think of steps and milestones. A “step” is the minimum activity or task that you can do each day to get into motion. “Milestones” are those indicators or achievements that let you know you are making progress toward your vision. Milestones are not destinations. They are important measurable guidelines that you pass along the way to your vision by staying in motion. I truly was working out about forty-five minutes per day—days that I previously would have put off until the proverbial “tomorrow.” I have learned that tomorrow means “not this day.” I continue to pass milestones along the way: Most consecutive days of workouts excluding Sundays) and my body fat and blood pressure dropped. But most importantly, I feel great! Visualize your milestones. You will be amazed at how fast you pass them along your journey.
Unlike a goal, your vision is never quite attainable. Your vision is actually a mental construct created by you to define what an achievement might look like. For example, my vision of “being in shape” has changed as I change. If I stay in motion, my confidence increases and my vision of what I can achieve increases. In spite of several knee surgeries, my new vision includes running a marathon— something that was definitely not part of my original vision. I was happy to run a mile. As you move towards that vision, however, the vision continues to move as well, and progressively gets further refined in your mind. Just like the horizon, it’s always in view, but as you move toward it, it continues to reset itself. You can’t sneak up on the horizon. You can’t get up before daybreak and wait for it to appear beneath your feet. It, like your vision, is merely a mental construct.
An income goal is another mental construct. What happens when you reach an income goal? Have you heard yourself say, “You know, if I could just make $75,000 (or whatever), I would be happy. I don’t need to make a lot of money. That would pay all my bills and leave me some extra.” Did your ideas change when you reached that goal? What income do you envision now? Whatever it is, as you move toward it, your mind will force you to seek new horizons. This is an automatic function that we are all born with. As we move towards our targets, gaining confidence along the way, our internal “vision creator” continues to reset itself. If we are not in motion, our minds are incapable of providing us with realistic new horizons.
As our vision evolves, so do the steps we take each day and the milestones we pass along the way. By following the method I’m suggesting, you will fill your life with positive daily affirmations, and you will be amazed (and thrilled) by the incredible progress you achieve!
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What is the Brower Quadrant?
Whether you are worth zillions-or struggling to make ends meet-you are rich! And, at this moment, you are either living in abundance or you are living in scarcity, it's up to you. What you have is not about doing more with less, but doing more with more in all areas of your life! The world needs gratitude instead of victimhood; value-based leadership instead of number management; asset optimization instead of asset isolation. In this book, you'll learn from six key components that will cement families to their True Wealth for generations to come.
