This is a summary of Episode 76 of My Circus Life, a show where I share a lesson from my high-flying and High-bouncing circus adventures and apply it to your life and business. You can watch the episode here.
On the trampoline, a cradle is a skill where you land in a back drop, rotate forward off the trampoline, and half-twist to land on your back facing the opposite direction. This is a foundational skill that I apply in the net when I do flying trapeze.
This is a skill I struggled to learn, and while it’s become more fluid for me, sometimes it feels difficult. I work on it constantly. It’s part of my trampoline warmup in every practice, and I often do some to warm up before or during trapeze practice.
A Slight Adjustment
Today my coach suggested that if I spot the ceiling on my back drop, I will land in a better position. I will get more lift and forward rotation off the trampoline bed, and I’ll have more air time to twist.
I put it to the test. I typically look at my feet; shifting my point of focus to the ceiling was a slight shift, but it created a dramatic change in my result. I got a much better rebound off the trampoline. I got more air time and I had more time before twisting. I executed the skill with ease.
Making the Difficult Things Easy
Something that has been difficult for me was suddenly easy. Where in your life would you like to create ease in something that is currently difficult?
I repeated this several times, and couldn’t get over how much this small change impacted the result.
At the same time, it wasn’t a surprise. It was yet another example of a core principle that I invoke in almost every aspect of my life.
The 2-Millimeter Rule.
The 2-millimeter rule is a frame I first heard from Tony Robbins. 2 millimeters might be the difference between Gold and silver at the Olympics. It might be the difference between a gunshot victim living and dying. In baseball, it’s the difference between a strikeout and a home run.
A 2-millimeter shift is all it takes to create a radical change in your business and your life.
Pay attention over the next few days. You’ll start to see the 2 millimeter shifts everywhere.
Small shifts, Big Impact
On the trampoline today, I felt an immediate impact from my 2-millimeter shift. But in many cases the effect isn’t obvious right away. This is why many people overlook it as a strategy for change.
Many of my clients come to me feeling stuck. They are looking for help to make a big change. Often, what is most needed is a 2-millimeter shift.
It Doesn’t Feel Like Change
Achievers often resist a 2-millimeter change because it doesn’t feel different. That’s not a bug; it’s a feature. 2-millimeter shifts are subtle. They are easy to implement. And because they are easy to implement, they are easy to sustain.
The power of the 2-millimeter shift lies in the trajectory over time. If you veer one degree off your course today and follow that course, you’ll be in a different place within 6 months, a year, 5 years.
A small improvement made in a few key areas can result in geometric growth to the business as a whole. — Tony Robbins
Where Most People Go Wrong
Where most people go wrong in making changes is that they aim too big. They try to reinvent the wheel instead of buffing out the rough spots. Big changes often induce the fear, paralysis and procrastination that keeps you stuck.
One reason most people fail to keep their resolutions is that they try to change too much at once. It’s not sustainable.
The Secret to Sustainable Change
The principle of the 2-millimeter shift is the foundation for virtually everything I’ve done to create sustainable changes in my life. My Fitness First ritual started with a 2-millimeter shift: my resolve not to hit the snooze alarm.
From there it turned into a daily fitness practice. Then I added Meditation. Writing. Publishing. Each small thing, implemented in the right time and the right order, was a 2-millimeter shift.
Those tiny little habits add up — a week from now, a month from now, a year from now — to make a profound difference. — Tony Robbins
None of these shifts felt like a major change or life disruption. Yet where I stand today is 180-degrees from where I was before making those shifts.
Ask This Question
Each time I want to make a change or implement something new, I ask myself:
What’s the 2-millimeter shift I can make today?
What is one small thing I can do that, over the long run, will create a big impact on my life?
If you want to help yourself or others make big changes that last, think small. Focus on the 2-millimeter shift.
Get More in My Circus Life
This was the topic in Episode 76 of My Circus Life. Watch the episode to learn the crucial caveat you must know to implement this strategy.
Your Turn
What do you want to change? What’s the 2 millimeter shift you can make this week to start toward that change?
Please share in the comments.
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