Have You Harnessed The Power of One More?

Tell me if this also happens to you. You get towards the end of a tough workout and you are ready to call it quits.

“Just one more,” you tell yourself. You do the rep and confirm to yourself, “I can always do one more.”

Then doubt again creeps in. “Just one more,” you remind yourself. Another rep gets done. This cycle of doubt and determination for JUST ONE MORE continues until the coach yells, “TIME!”

I have a theory when it comes to my workouts…If I don’t doubt myself and my capabilities during the workout then I didn’t push hard enough to create any change in my body. I use the one more reps as a guide to know I’ve reached a fulfilling workout. As Muhammad Ali once said when he was asked how many situps he had done in his workout, “I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”

The “just one more reps” are the ones that are going to count most. They are the reps that will make your workouts worthwhile but also alter the way you live your life.

Ed Mylett is a successful businessman and motivational speaker. I really enjoy his podcast because he’s also a man of God. He recently lost his father and wrote a book about the lessons his dad taught him called, “The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success.”

Ed talks about how his dad was an alcoholic for the first 15 years of his life. His dad was abusive physically and verbally to his family. It wasn’t until Ed’s mom gave his dad an ultimatum do “get sober or get out,” that he finally sought out treatment.

Ed’s dad put in the work and came out a changed man. It was then that Ed asked his dad this question, “Dad, are you going to stay sober the rest of your life?” A question I’m sure Ed longed to hear a solid “yes” to.

“I don’t know.” His dad replied. “I can tell you this, I’m going to stay sober for one more day.”

Ed says that advice forever changed his life and how he approached every challenge and obstacle. “Just don’t quit for one more day” was a mantra Ed used to build the successful life he did.

Jocko Willink, who is a retired U.S. Navy Seal and author of the books “Extreme Ownership” and “The Dichotomy of Leadership” (two of my all-time favorite leadership books), said something very similar on the Entreleadership Podcast recently.

Jocko was asked about his discipline and how he stays so dedicated, and what advice he could give to others to help them become more disciplined. He admitted that while his discipline might look robotic to some, he is still human just like everyone else. And like other humans, he has days where he does not want to workout.

On the days where he meets this resistance to workout or do something hard in his business, he tells himself, “Not today.” He gets sore just like the rest of us and has days where he wants to rest. But he’ll tell himself, “Not today. Tomorrow if I’m still sore I will take it off and give myself that well-deserved rest day, but NOT TODAY.”

In previous posts, I’ve talked about beating cravings for sweets, and my vice, ice cream. I would use a similar mantra to Jocko’s “Not Today,” but my technique for ice cream would be “Not for 15 minutes.” It was that little space that I gave myself between craving and reward, that helped me break the habit. You’re allowing yourself to have that ice cream in 15 minutes or take that rest day tomorrow, but you’re deciding right now is not the time I’m giving up or giving in.

You can take the “not today” mantra to your workouts when you want to rest. “I will rest,” you tell yourself, “but not this round.” I know I’ve used this one before too. I know for a fact I used it in my workout yesterday.

You may be trying to break a habit like sweets, or something more serious like alcoholism, or you might be working at keeping a habit going like your committed club streak. Either way, “the power of one more” and the “not today” mindset can help you take that next step of progress.

And when it comes to accomplishing big audacious goals, all that matters is the next step in front of you. One more rep or one more step doesn’t seem like it can move the needle in your life right now, but when you compound the power of one more over an entire year or more, the results are transformative.

Special shoutout to everyone doing a set of pull-ups or running a mile or putting in 5-minutes of stretching after class. You all are living out the “one more mindset” and it will pay off over time.

-Coach Tony