“As you travel through life, my friend, whatever be thy goal,
Focus on the doughnut, and not the hole.” Optimist’s Creed
I was introduced to the Optimist’s Creed 5 years ago, by Jeff, an owner of the studio. I was new to my leadership role, and often found myself looking for things that were not there instead of focusing on all the good that was manifesting right before my eyes. Pretty soon, this lesson was adopted into my team and the idea of “focusing on the doughnut and not the hole” became my team’s mantra. Whenever stress and overwhelm would take over on a shift, my team would remind one another “doughnut not the hole.” Immediately we would shift our perception and look for the good that was right in front of us. Maybe it was a member wearing a tanktop for the first time, or a member consistently coming to class 3 times a week, or a member doing pushups on their toes, or a fellow team member teaching an amazing class, we were always on a mission to find the good. Focusing on the good opened our eyes to more good. More good brought on more things to be grateful for. More gratitude brought on more positivity. And positivity spread like wildfire from the instructors to the members and into the member’s lives outside of our walls.
Fast forward 5 years. Here we are in the middle of rebranding the studio. As of March 1st, we are no longer part of the ilovekickboxing franchise. Now, we are completely independent and known as Club Kickbox.
During this time it is easy to focus on what is missing, instead of the good that is in front of us (the doughnut). Since we opened Perrysburg 5 years ago, I have always strived to teach my team to make the environment and community one of fun, of positivity, of empowerment, of encouragement, of success, of passion. We will continue to provide that same environment. A positive community, where people want to come and continue to show up, is part of my doughnut.
The difference is that we are adding in more, again this is not a bad thing. We are able to provide a higher level service and coach people in better ways. We are able to help more, we are able to dig deeper and really change people’s lives if they will let us. Again, focusing on the doughnut not the hole, right now there are many distractions that I can focus on with the rebrand. But my eyes are on the prize.
This new rebranding is something that I believe in and something that I am willing to fight for, to adapt to. In fact, I am really excited about the ways we can really help our community and spread more positivity and empowerment, including different types of resistance training, workshops, seminars, challenges, and so much more. The possibilities are endless, and helping people feel strong, empowered, confident, and alive is my personal ultimate goal and one that I choose to continue to focus on, it is my doughnut, not the hole.
How can you apply this?
1.) Come up with 3 or 4 things that you want to focus on (your doughnut), disregard the holes 🙂
2.) When faced with a challenge, ask yourself if it helps meet these 3 or 4 things you are focusing on. If it does continue, if it doesn’t refocus to the doughnut
3.) Stay the course, the good is around you, but you must develop the habit of looking for it and discovering it. Even if it is tiny and minute, find it. More good can grow from very small things.
And always remember the Optimist’s Creed- my mantra- focus on the doughnut and not the hole.
