When to get uncomfortable, and when to stay in your lane.
Recently, a friend and client embarked on a journey of a lifetime. In a special trip across the world, he was able to realize his zone of genius (mindset) and help the USA running team by obtaining 3 top 10 finishes, including 1 Gold medal at the world championships. Like any good journey it required a level of commitment and preparation outside of the normal routine. We all have a baseline. This man's baseline is exceptional to start. He has run 365 days a year for more than 11 years. Through sickness, health, rain and 30"+ blizzards. Which actually sounds pretty good right now because it is predicted to be 100 degrees today. I digress...
The baseline is different for all of us. Though the one thing that many of us forget at times is that it is possible to change the baseline. Mark's journey to Worlds started many years ago. Planning, training, and committing. The results did not come from any specific Friday night training session. They came as a culmination of all the late nights and early mornings. I recall several years ago having a discussion with Mark when he decided to start stacking the chips. Piece by piece, workout by workout, one step at a time.
He was very sharing along the way, posting his trials and tribulations publicly for the world to see. Much like all great athletes, the little things done thousands of times are what separate them from the rest. There are many times when it is not fun. Putting in hours, working on the fundamentals and continually adding to the routine with strength and skill building exercises. This though is where the games and championships are won. Getting uncomfortable so when the toe finally hits the line, autopilot kicks in and all those reps keep you in your lane.
This is no different for any of us. That includes our team at Sierra Landscape Management. Many times we feel as though we are playing in an industry built around trying to take the biggest swing you can, at all times. The reality though is it is not all the home-run attempts compounded until a win happens. It is the fundamentals compounded over time that create the framework to win consistently.
At Sierra we take extreme pride in the fundamentals. The next time you see one or our wrapped vans look at the back door. Our core values stand there proudly for all to see. Not just like some writing on the wall of a high school sports team locker room, but front and center to remind us daily of who we are. It doesn't stop there either. We talk about them all the time. Sometimes on Monday and Friday mornings you may see our guys sitting in the vehicles very early in the morning. They are not slacking off. They are growing their minds through our team culture talks and meetings. They are trained in the fundamentals over and over again.
This allows us to operate in a very special place. In fact we don't just know our zone of genius, we own it. Our unique abilities, that give us access to touch the world in ways others simply cannot. To use creativity and care to give our circles the ability to give away experiences, that open eyes to new appreciations, through nature, in their own backyards. We believe people know the difference between apples and oranges. Showing the world our journey helps spread the awareness of which is which.
This week we bring to you a special video. A moment was realized through action. A glimpse captured that shows the result of all the late nights and early morning trainings. In our industry, it is very easy to get uncomfortable and operate out of the zone of genius. We pride ourselves on having the awareness that the time to be uncomfortable happens during training, and the time to "Operate" comes when it's game time.