Happy Wednesday,

I was readying Brian Cain's book One Percent Better and there were a number of key ideas I took away that could apply to our NVC Practice or any practice for that matter. I'd like to share one of them with you today: the 3 Step Success Cycle.

“‘When you create a 1% intention, you want to be sure that you can follow the 3 step success cycle. The 3 step success cycle is a process that is applied to all types of performance, teaching, marriage, athletic, business, and yes, your 1% intention,’ Sunny said.

‘First, you have to prepare for your performance. Then, you perform. Finally, you have to reflect on your performance to maximize your learning from that performance on that day. The biggest mistake I see in people who set the 1% intention is that they prepare by writing down what they will do, then they do their 1% intention for a short period of time, but fail to reflect on it. Reflection is where the golden nuggets of wisdom and development are mined. You have to reflect so you can learn. Otherwise, you slip back into going through the motions instead of growing through the motions.’”

This is very similar to our NVC Practice. You prepare. Whether it's going through a training, doing self-empathy, practicing with an empathy buddy, getting empathy from a friend before a tough conversation, meditating, and/or many other strategies. Then you perform. Whether it's a tough conversation you've been preparing for or it's the many impromptu conversations you have all day.

However, what many of us do not do is the reflection piece. And as Brian states this is critical for development, and more specifically "growing through the motions".

If you've taken any of our trainings you've participated in Mourning and Celebrations reflection. This is a process of reflecting on your NVC practice, and efforts throughout the week or in specific conversations. It's even a requirement in our Empathy Gym. Because it's that important.

And I want to give you a slight remix on it that Brian provides, which I really enjoy. Meets my needs for effectiveness and simplicity. He calls it "Well, Better, How".

1. What did I do, or went, well? (Celebrations)
2. What needs work - what can I do better? (Mournings)
3. How will I do it better, improve it, next time?

I love it. There's equal emphasis on "the good" and "the bad" and you're taking your mournings and applying learning - how can you improve it next time.

So, what is something you're trying to get 1% better at each day? Possibly your communication? Or something that if you committed to getting just 1% better each day might just change your life? And are you willing to reflect on it each day?

Which by the way 1% of a day is 14 minutes, 24 seconds. And if you can get 1% better each day you are 37 times better at the end of the year.

Here's to getting 1% better each day!

🎙️ Podcast Episode 107: Testosterone and NVC

Dr. B interviews Dr. Jeremiah Murphy and Ryan Bonhardt in Episode 107. Their conversation goes into how they got into NVC and the impact that it has had on their lives. They also delve into a discussion on why NVC seems to be heavily populated by individuals who identify as female and not as much by males.

Click here to listen to the podcast

💪 In The Empathy Gym This Week ❤️

Update: We are officially on a new platform as of this week. If you are an Empathy Gym member, you can access the Empathy Gym at learn.thebigbiemethod.com

Cheers,

Ryan