Author discusses how a little effort can lead to significant improvement
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 25, 2011
The difference between a winner and a loser is sometimes minuscule. Often those in the lead are only 1 percent better than the next person, according to Tom Connellan, a public speaker and author. To illustrate he points to Olympic games participants. He says an Olympic gold medal winner is only slightly faster than the athlete in the fourth place without any medal recognition; one percent faster, he says.
In The 1% Solution for Work and Life How to Make Your Next 30 Days The Best Ever (Peak Performance Press, $19.95), Connellan discusses the difference an improvement or advantage of even a very small percent can make in the success of athletes, executives, and students. He believes the leverage power of that 1 percent can make a huge difference in the results.
He admits in the book that not everyone is likely to be great but insists that everyone “can be better than they are right now.” He also believes that accomplishing something motivates people to accomplish something else. Setting clear goals, taking action (even small steps are okay), and focusing on effectiveness and efficiency are some of the ways to strive for the one percent improvement he discusses in the book.
He is convinced that small changes in actions may lead to large changes in results. Emphasizing maximum performance in the present; monitoring results and comparing yourself only to yourself are useful ways to improve, according to him.
Additional suggestions include regular vacations, working in periods of concentration and recovery, building breaks during a work period, napping during the day and sleeping eight hours a day.
The 154-page hardcover book published early this year is divided into seven chapters: It’s Turning Point Time!; The Upside-Down Way to Boost Your Motivation; The Physics of Personal Success: How to Create a More Powerful You; Why Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, and What to Do About It; The 30-Day Formula That Will Change Your Life; How Not Doing Anything Helps You Get More Done; and The Circle is Complete.
Connellan founded a service company and built it into a network of 1,200 instructors serving 300 hospitals and many of the Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of ten book.
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