The 20-70-10 Rule
We were on an early morning run on the first day of soccer training camp in college when one of my teammates started boasting about how little training he'd done in the offseason. He laughed as he told us about his summer escapades, none of which apparently involved exercise. He didn't laugh for long. He groaned and hobbled around campus for the first two weeks of camp as his body tried to make up for lost time.
But he wasn't the only one that ignored offseason training. Each fall about 20% of the team showed up completely out of shape. About 70% coasted. They did the bare minimum over the summer and arrived on campus unprepared for the rigor of training camp. And about 10% arrived at training camp in top shape. I always strove to be in that top 10%, which meant frequent workouts on hot summer days, often on my own. It wasn't the easy path, but I knew I had to put in the work if I wanted to perform at the best of my ability.
THE 20-70-10 RULE
I have a prediction: When we emerge from the chaos that surrounds us right now, we'll look a lot like my college soccer team in late August:
20% of us will decline—we’ll groan and hobble around as we try to catch up with others
70% of us will coast—we’ll regain our game fitness, but it won't be easy
10% of us will thrive—we’ll enter the “new normal” in better shape than we are now
We'll all know the truth of how we used our time when the season starts up again.
HOW TO THRIVE
Two things will enable you to thrive in the weeks and months to come:
1. Challenge yourself
Expand your capacity for self-awareness
Develop essential leadership skills
Learn and strengthen your knowledge base
2. Support yourself
Limit overexposure to media
Connect with loved ones
Move your body
Eat well
Structure your day
We're in the offseason, folks. The challenges of our present day offer each of us an enormous opportunity. Even though it's difficult, let’s persevere and use this time to develop ourselves so that we’re ready when the season starts up again.