My dad has always been my role model. When I was a kid my dad would always ask my brothers and I, what is the biggest room in the world?
Quickly we caught on- It is the Room for Improvement.
I’ve always looked up to athletes like Lolo Jones, Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, and Ashton Eaton– who have all acknowledged the importance of jumping levels.
The idea of jumping levels means that everyday you need to find a new way to improve yourself. Whether it’s a new workout or leaning a new skill or just improving on an old skill, focus on something and try to improve it. There needs to be a sense of urgency, desire and focus to improve in some area each day.
Because our company believes in this idea so much, we literally trademarked the phrase “Jump Levels” (thanks John Smith) and it is written on the back of out t-shirts.
Tom Brands, an Olympic Wrestler, explained that you shouldn’t let a day go by where you don’t improve in some way- athletically, academically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, nutritionally, etc. All of these daily improvements will begin to manifest and multiply – and that is what Jumping Levels is all about.
Dustin Watten, an Olympic Volleyball Player, explains how he used every day to focus on a new task, “Whether it was meditating, journaling, warming up in my house so I could get extra repetitions as soon as my team got on the court, juicing, scouting 2-3 full games for each upcoming match or getting to bed early each and every night, I took advantage of every competitive edge I could think of.” His focus on these daily tasks allowed him to excel with his professional volleyball team in Poland called Cerrad Czarni Radom.
Bob Richards, Olympic pole-vaulting champion and record holder, described what it means for people to be inspired. Richards said that inspiration occurs when “they see themselves not as they are but as they can become.” Jumping levels requires you to be able to be inspired for future growth by not being either discouraged or content with your current situation. You have to be able to see yourself as what you could be if only you reached your fullest potential and constantly strive to be the best that you can be.
The reason these atheltes are successful in sports and in life is because they embrace the idea of Jumping Levels. They may all call it something different, but the idea is the same. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. The way to achieve greatness in track and field and in life is to seek constant improvement and always look to Jump Levels.
Challenge yourself each day, create new goals and challenges, look for new ways to improve. If you think you have all the answers, then you better start asking better questions.
There are so many facets to our sport and to life, that no matter how much time you have put in there is always another level. Strive for it each day. And when you get there start reaching for the next one. You could rest assured that it will be there.