At one point or another in each of our lives, we were all introduced to what is commonly known as a “warm up.”
Each of us learned to warm up for various reasons.
Some of us were involved in music & arts, others in athletics, others in spelling bees…….
Regardless of which category you were a part of, the core theme remained the same.
Here are 3 quick examples:
Jenny goes through a warm up to prepare for her orchestra concert in 45 minutes.
Bobby’s team hits the field early to warm up and be ready for the game.
Vanessa warms up by practicing potential words that may be asked at the spelling bee today.
Even though these examples vary greatly, they are still very similar.
Warming up prepares each of them both mentally & physically for their particular event, while putting them in a peak state of mind.
How does this relate to you????
Somewhere along the course of our life, whether it’s when we’re in college or entering the working world, we tend to lose our warm up. Most of the time, we don’t even realize it.
We fall into a stagnant pattern (not a good pattern)…..
We get comfortable in the position we hold and just start to go through the motions.
I want you to answer this question below.
Do you warm up every morning before beginning the work you do everyday? (exercise, stretch, meditation, deep breathing, visualization, mental training, etc). Anything that puts your mind in the right state to do great work falls into this category.
Based on my findings, most people reading this don’t do this nearly enough (if at all).
You have no excuse not to.
If you want to be the very best in your field, you need to develop a warm up or routine to begin your day. I’m not here to tell you what your routine should consist of specifically. I am merely letting you know that you need one if you are going to be the best in your craft.
If world class performers warm up on a consistent basis before doing their best work, why aren’t you?
Let me end the post with a short story.
I went to the grocery store last month to do my typical food shopping for the week.
Note: When I go grocery shopping, I’m always very conversational with the employees.
For 2 reasons:
- I can never find those 1 or 2 random items on my list (so I have to ask)
- I study people’s general habits. Call it weird, but it’s my marketing instinct to take notice (who’s enjoying their work & who hates being there).
I approach the deli counter and the young woman (probably 18 or 19) asks me, what would you like?
I asked her for a 1/2 lb of Homestyle Turkey Breast & a 1/2 pound of Buffalo Style Chicken.
She proceeded to cut the deli meat that I had ordered. Meanwhile, she began discussing with me what her favorite selections were while giving me a few samples to try.
After trying a few, she asked me again……is there anything else you would like to order?
I really didn’t need anything else, but I felt compelled to buy the new roast beef because it tasted great and she talked up the product so well.
When I got home, I sent the stores branch manager an e-mail explaining how exceptional this employee’s service was.
Will it give her a promotion or a raise? Maybe…but that’s not the point here.
This woman (grocery deli employee) put herself in a peak state of mind throughout her whole shift at work. As a customer, I could sense how much she enjoyed the work she did.
We can all learn something from her.
She warmed up so to speak. When her shift began, she was ready to give each customer an amazing experience, opposed to showing up at work and simply going through the motions like everyone else.
Many of us fall victim by simply showing up at work everyday.
“We show up, but we don’t bring our whole self (we exclude excitement, imagination, curiosity)”
Whether you are a teacher, lawyer, bank teller or sales representatives, it’s important to bring more excitement to the work you do. This all begins with the warm up/routine you go through prior to starting your work.
What can you start doing on a daily basis each morning to bring forth your best work everyday?
What’s your warm up?
Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from Ryan Malinowski’s post, pass this article along to them. It could give them the encouragement they need.
