What's Your New Normal?

Remember the movie Trading Places - with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy?  One rich, one poor, and an experiment in which their places are switched to see if the poor guy can perform in the rich guy's role.  Of course he did and, of course, this was just a movie.  But truly the concept works because Murphy's character experienced a new "normal" and, ultimately, adjusted accordingly.  This is one excellent way to create new habits - by establishing a new "normal" - a benchmark upon which you compare and create expectations.

 After I set a goal to complete my first "mud run,” called Warrior Dash, I decided to make a few workout changes as preparation.  One change was to increase my run mileage from 3 to 5 miles.  Not knowing the physical impact the obstacles would have on the 3.5-mile run, I wanted to be sure the distance was the easy part by increasing my typical mileage.  The Dash turned out to be "relatively" easy.  But what I did not realize is that I created a new "normal".  Up to the training period, rarely did I run over 3 miles.  Since the event, rarely do I run less than 5 miles.  In terms of distance, that's a 67% increase, just by inadvertently creating a new normal.   Truly, it's now just as easy to run 5 miles as it was to run 3 miles, and I simply expect it.  Imagine relating this to other, more impactful areas of our lives…

 Would anyone like to see a 67% increase in sales, income, profits, or something else important this year?  Create a new normal by changing expectations in the area of emphasis - through new actions and accountabilities, new associates who already model the new normal you want, and even considering minimizing associations with the old normal. 

 So, when it comes to your health, your marriage, your career, or anything else that really matters to you…what’s your new normal?