Stronger Than Yesterday

by Michele Boy | February 3, 2022

My daughter played her first traveling basketball game on Saturday.

The team lost in sudden death double overtime.   She got frustrated with herself on what she did wrong.

While it is good to replay what you could have done better, you can’t stay there or nothing is accomplished. 

So on the drive home,  we went over what she did well and what she needs to work on.  Then we explained that while she could do better, it was a team loss and everyone has room to improve.

She kept forgetting to put her hands up when she was playing defense. So all week we have been doing one minute hands up drills to practice and to reinforce the message.

On Sunday, we went out on the basketball court and she tried a lot of shots to be like some of the other girls. 

I told her the team doesn’t need another one of them, they need the best you. She needs to hone her strengths to help the team the most. 

Sage advice for myself. When I look at you, any of you, I think, wow that trait is something I would like. I would like to be as strong as you or as bold as you or as peaceful as you. 

If I am taking my own advice, the world has one of you already. The world needs me to be the best me I can be. Too Dr. Seuss? 

So instead of wasting my energy on what you may like or not like, be good at or not, I need to focus on my strengths, goals, weaknesses, not yours. 

There are a list of things I would like to do better at. But the list is overwhelming if I look at it all at once. I need to break it down to reasonable achievable goals. 

So we  began a 3 and 1 activity in my house this weekend. Tell me three things that you did well today and one thing you want to work on. 

Three things I did well this weekend - I helped my daughter, I read, I practiced my Spanish. 

One thing I want to work on is getting in better shape physically. So right before bed, I went to the basement and did five minutes of arm work.

Sounds like nothing but it was a focused achievable step. 

The next morning I woke at 4 am and after a cup of coffee, I went to the basement and did a 30 minute workout.

At breakfast I told my daughter what I did and she wanted to go downstairs and workout too.

It snowballed both for myself and for her.

A lot of times I leave workouts till the end of the day after I have accomplished what I needed for my husband, my daughter, my work and my family. But more times than not, there is nothing left for me physically.

From Rage Against The Machine’s Guerilla radio,” It has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime

What better place than here

What better time than now?” 

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion at a constant velocity will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force. 

Basically a body in motion tends to stay in motion. 

I remember reading about the 400 pound man who decided one day that he would eat two cupcakes instead of three for the first week. 

Then one cupcake instead of two, then none.

He kept moving forward with baby steps and eventually ran the Marine Corps marathon. 

I may not get there but I am going to focus on three things I did well and one thing I can do to improve.

And if my focus is on me getting stronger and healthier then I am focused on the habit, not the results. 

That is a game changer for me.

What’s your 3 and 1?

I have a t shirt that says “Stronger than yesterday.” That’s my goal!