In order to improve on one's best, bettering your best involves recognizing exactly what your "best” is at any given moment. In my younger days I used to run track. It is a great sport that edifies a young man in many different ways. The runner on the track finds himself preparing to compete. But with whom?

I always thought it was the perfect competition because of the duality of the event or events for that matter. While the runner is preparing to compete with other runners, there's a lot that happens on the way to the finish line. Even the phrase "finish line” is an oversimplification because as the runners compete his goal is to beat his personal best time. Now as long as his best time is better than the other runners best time he not only wins the race, he also establishes a new launch pad for his next run time. Isn't that great!

Even in the group aspect of a competition like a track meet the runner is still involved in an individual challenge to set and re-set his own pace. Once the runner knows what his best pace is he then has the challenge to perform at his optimum level. His task is to not only remember the feel of peak performance; he also has to allow his entire body to re-create the actions, rhythm, and pattern of this accomplishment.

This is how the runner takes ownership of his optimum performance level thereby making it personal. Through his physiology, his psychological view, and his innate talent, the runner can repeat his actions at will and then challenge himself to do better.

I know this to be true, because as a runner I know that one has to own up to your pace and work toward improving each step, stride, arm swing, and even breathing patterns to apply to a winning track record. Now stay with me and I'll show you how all of this applies to discovering your personal best.

Competing in a Double "Heat”

Before I begin to explain what all of this track analogy has to do with Bettering Your Best and how it can be applied to any area of one's life I'd like to share this interesting track experience with you.

When I was in high school (I said very young didn't I?) I was a pretty good competitor on the track field. I enjoyed events like the 880 relays, the 100-yard dash, hurdling, and the 240-yard sprint. The track meet to me was the "fiesta la resistance,” in other words they were exciting and always fun especially when you win! In one particular instance I had to compete in a double heat event. These are the preliminary rounds of the race in which the winners compete in the final race based on the best times.

Well, I was part of the first heat and ran the perfect race. I had my stride, breath control, stayed in my lane and set the pace winning that heat! Boy was I happy and I felt great…..until.

The second heat took off! Those guys were gazelles or some other fast animal you can insert here and create your own metaphor. Anyway, when the results came in the last man in the second heat (slowest time and all) came in 2 seconds faster than my "winning” time in the first heat. I was crushed!

An Important Point

What's my point? It's that although there was no magical win for me in the second heat, I learned from that experience and practiced harder and harder to attain a faster pace. Keep pushing; never give up. Always challenge yourself to do a little more each day. You'd be surprised what turning off the TV for 60 minutes of self-improvement can do to your ability to succeed. Master your ability to lead your "heat.” Maybe you haven't had the experience of creating a business success or earning a lot of money. Think back to a time when you made a wise choice then acted on it in a positive way. Most people can do more than they think they can, and just by thinking about it, they'll find greater success.

Once you find what you can do better than anyone else, keep doing it. You'll not only move from failure to success, you'll stay ahead!

Summary: Replay your victory

Think of a time in your own life when you won!! Ask yourself how it felt and replay those sensations in your mind.