One of the greatest things that I’ve signed up for over the winter, is a series of bike skills workshops. It sounds boring and slow, but far from it. I’ve learned I’m awesome at bike limbo and I can lean over far further on my bike than I think I can, without toppling over and also that I have a really potty mouth, especially when I get it wrong. Well, actually, I think we probably knew that already, but it’s always interesting to be among normal people and realise how much “passion” I add to my sentences…
Okay I’ve learnt a lot more useful shit than that. But the point is, I’ve been learning. It takes a certain type of person to drive just over an hour to a rather exposed loop of tarmac and spend 3 hours perfecting the art of the perfect corner on two wheels – and an even stranger person to get out there and get excited about getting on that tarmac. But it’s worth it. The reason I get excited about it is I see the potential for progression, to go a bit faster, to ride a little more dangerously, to get a little bit closer to the edge of what I’m capable of. But I also recognise why I’m doing it.
It’s because once you get to the pointy end of racing, you have to start thinking about the little things that give you the edge; the right tyres, the right shoes, the right number belt, the stuff that doesn’t worry you when you first start out. The trouble is, we sometimes get it wrong. Not about what choices we make when it comes to the little things, but about what we recognise to be the little things and what we recognise to be the big things.
The thing is when it comes to health and fitness, it’s the same. We’re too busy being preoccupied by the glitzy, sexy promises of becoming a lean mean six pack machine in 4 minutes. We’re too busy thinking if we cut carbs for a fortnight all our problems will be solved. What we’re not thinking about is what’s REALLY stalling our progress: hydration, sleep, sticking with our commitments over the weekend and not just during weekdays.
In performance coaching, I help people to realise what really makes the difference in your day to day life, what really builds a ladder to success and what is just white noise. And it’s hard. But I’ve learned a lot from my own experiences, my own research and the input of those mentors and leaders around me. That’s why I focus on the five fundamental Paladin principles. I’ve carefully curated them to and condensed all the lessons I think we need to learn to build an unshakeable foundation:
- Mindset – having the resilience to actually go after what you want.
- GoalSMASHING – working out what it is you actually want!
- Nutrition – creating the ultimate human machine by building and fuelling it properly.
- Fitness – achieving longevity and independence so we’re not bounded by our own limitations.
- Self-health – understanding what it takes to recover properly.
The thing is, a lot of people will tell you these are the little things that make the difference. But that doesn’t make sense to me. I couldn’t do any of what I do without having these robustly perfected and acting as a solid foundation for all the other stuff I add. Now and then, they need maintenance, refining, revisiting based on changes in ourselves, our circumstances, our situation. But if we are able to recognise that and maintain them before they crumble, these foundations hold us in good stead to conquer anything we put our minds to.
Bike skills are one of those things that people see as an “icing on the cake” thing. But it’s really not. If you can’t go round a corner properly, how much time and energy are you going to waste in a race? So while it sometimes feels like it’s “the little things”, perhaps if we realised these are the big things, we’d give them the attention and time they deserve in perfecting them. Think about that…
And if you’re not sure what the big little things are that you need to work on, go and take the Super Human scorecard. It’s completely free and it’ll give you the opportunity to get started on your five Paladin Principles right away.