Athlete the Lower, Body-build the Upper
--
‘Athlete the lower, body-build the upper.’
I’ve always loved this. What it’s saying is that the legs should be trained for power, speed, and longevity, like an athlete. While the upper body can be trained like a bodybuilder, largely for aesthetics but also for function.
We’ve all seen a meme of a giant dude with scrawny legs. It’s hilarious. On the flip, you see a person with legs like an NFL running back and you know it’s someone who has put in the work.
It’s like the old motivational picture of an iceberg or an overnight success who has actually been grinding and sweating and perfecting their craft for a decade.
Like always, this saying immediately made me think of sales and business.
Do you know why Zappos can talk about Delivering Happiness and can literally allow their customers to call them to order their pizza or munchies? It’s because they have a rock-solid, STRONG infrastructure behind the scenes. They know with 100% certainty that their team can handle it.
They’ve been trained, they have the culture, they have standard operating procedures, and they care.
Hopefully the tides have changed but, historically, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been MUCH better than the Browns. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, when talking about the Steelers, that it starts with the Rooney family, who has owned the franchise for generations. They’re built to win from the bottom to the top.
On the other hand, you have the Browns, whose leadership has changed as often as Cleveland’s weather.
You can’t win without strong leadership and a solid foundation.
Your cute marketing and on-trend slang means nothing if you don’t have the service to back it up.
You won’t find personal success without a solid foundation either.
- Do you have a set schedule?
- Do you have a method for organization?
- Do you build contact lists?
- Do you make the calls?
- Are you doing the RIGHT activities?
- Do you have a moral code or guiding philosophy?
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…” starts the Constitution of the United States of America. The Founding Fathers were hyper aware of the fact that in order to build a ‘more perfect’ republic, that would stand the test of time, it needed rock solid legs to stand on.
How strong is your foundation?
