Monkey Business Leads to Bigg Success
Let’s go back in time to the year 1897. Jockey Tod Sloan transformed the horse racing world. Up to that time, jockeys had dangled their legs down the sides of the horse.
Sloan didn’t follow the custom. He squatted in his stirrups. It looked so strange that people called it the “monkey crouch”.
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Well, monkey see, monkey do. Sloan’s technique quickly caught on.
It is given credit for improving race times by 6% over the last century. No other improvements have been as successful as Sloan’s monkey crouch.
Scientists have recently discovered why racing times improved so dramatically with the monkey crouch. Using the old way, the horse had to push the jockey up with every stride because the horse moves up and down more than the jockey.
By crouching above the horse, the jockey allows the horse to expend less energy with every stride. The jockey works harder but the pair is more efficient.
What can we learn about personal productivity from Sloan’s monkey crouch?
Think outside the monkey cage.
This is an obvious one but it bears repeating. Just because it’s always been done a certain way doesn’t make it best. Always be on the lookout for a better technique. Sloan found it; so can you.
Get the monkey off your back.
People made fun of Sloan until his method got results. What works may look strange. What works may feel strange. You don’t care about that. You just care that it works!
Make monkey trial and error your constant companion.
Look at your life as your laboratory. Always test new ideas, new techniques and new tools to see which ones pan out.
Don’t swing from tree to tree.
You can’t dilute your resources. You have to concentrate your efforts on one thing at a time. If you try to improve too many things, you won’t improve any.
Set the monkey bar a little higher.
Bigg success comes from sequential small improvements. So focus on doing just a little bit better today and a little bit better tomorrow.
Don’t be afraid to monkey around.
Sometimes the best improvements come by accident. Always be tuned in to your environment because you never know from where your bigg discovery will come.
It just shows you that, sometimes, monkey business leads to bigg success!
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Thanks so much for reading our post today. Please join us next time when we talk with John Tantillo, The Marketing Doctor, about giving your brand a brand-over. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!
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(Image by Paolo Camera,CC 2.0)
Todd Pletcher is a dominant force in the horse racing world. He’s been selected as the outstanding Trainer of the Year for each the last four years.