Maximize Your Strengths, Improve Your Weaknesses

Personal development and growth should be a lifelong pursuit. You might be surprised to learn that Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is an avid reader, something that was encouraged by his parents during his childhood. "Diamond Dave" values learning and once said that he didn't want to be the same guy at the end of a tour that he was when he got on the bus before hitting the road. Having a learning mindset and a positive attitude are significant attributes in terms of achieving personal growth in any endeavor. All of us have areas in which we are strong as well as room for improvement. I am certainly not immune to personal weaknesses; I know that I must consistently work on my patience and active listening skills. During football season I often achieve less than adequate sleep (especially on Friday nights) and try to balance too many balls in the air, but each season I coach I get a little bit better at it.

If you are taking the time to read this article, it is likely that you recognize certain areas where you need to improve. This is healthy and demonstrates a level of self-awareness that many folks do not possess. Honest self-assessment is important, but you should also take the time to recognize the good habits you have created and the things you do well. In life we usually learn more from our defeats than we do from our victories, but celebrating even small wins serves as positive reinforcement. Everybody likes to feel appreciated.

Every Total Results client has certain exercises they dislike more than others. It could be that they don't perform as well on those exercises as they would like, or because the systemic effect of some of the larger movements make things unpleasant. We structure our workouts in a systematic fashion so that we can give equal attention to the upper and lower body, balance horizontal and vertical pushing and pulling movements, and work in the sagittal, transverse, and frontal planes. Unless certain exercises are causing injurious pain, we will continue to incorporate them into your workout because we want you to develop symmetrically. Take the time to find out how you can improve your performance on exercises that are difficult. Listen, absorb, and try to implement the feedback you receive from your instructor. Periodically looking over your progress chart can provide some positive reinforcement. Just adding two pounds or a few seconds in time under load may not seem like much, but it can add up over time.

Be honest with yourself; are you really giving your best effort every time? Only you can look at yourself in the mirror and answer that question. You should not expect to break records or compare yourself to someone else; it is far better to focus on what you can control than things you cannot. There are many factors that are within your control that will give you the best chance for success, such as proper sleep, optimal hydration, and stress management. If your diet is a weak point, Total Results can help! If you want to build muscle (which I am assuming you do, or you would not be here) you should start by consuming one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. How is your mental approach to each session? Is your mind scattered when you arrive for your workout, or are you able to put everything aside for twenty minutes and focus on the task at hand? Life happens and nobody lives in a vacuum. If focusing is a problem for you, start by putting your phone away for the ten minutes prior to your session and simply think about giving your best effort on every exercise of your upcoming workout. Visualize success in "emptying the tank." If focus is a point of strength for you, keep doing what you're doing.

Do not be content with being good; see what you can do to become even better! There is always room for improvement. Tom Brady was a seven time Super Bowl winner, won three MVP awards, and was named first team All-Pro three times, yet never stopped trying to improve until the day he hung up his cleats. Keep doing the things that you do well, yet always be on the lookout for ways to improve your weaknesses. Growth should never stop!