Arnold Schwarzenegger shared a neat story about going to a famous ballet teacher when he was training as a bodybuilder. Bodybuilding competitions involve striking various poses. The goal is for each of these to be photo moments that impress the judges.
He expected this ballet teacher to help him strike graceful poses. Instead, she spent a disproportionate time giving him feedback on how he was getting to the pose. When he asked her why, she explained that while he was focused on getting to that photo moment, the judges were watching his form as he transitioned poses. He spent more time in transitions vs. striking poses during his routine and she wanted him to get that right.
The insight has wonderful parallels in our lives too. We often spend a disproportionate amount of our bandwidth thinking about big moments – big decisions, big meetings, and so on.
But most of what matters happen between those events.
