A large portion of my previous post on ‘What is Your Single Point of Failure?’ concerned preparation and planning.
Planning and preparation is a crucial hedge against possible failures or situations that may occur.
I’ve noticed over the years that many people fail at their goals simply because they don’t prepare for their plan not going according to plan.
In fact, many people misunderstand the concept of risk during the planning stage. They tend to focus on the probability of a negative outcome than the severity of that outcome.
This can lead to a false sense of security when making decisions.
Even worse, it can turn dangerous when you’re in a professional MMA fight. During training camp, I drill for adverse situations based on my opponents’ strengths.
Against a BJJ specialist, I undergo specific sequences where the opponent has passed my guard.
Other times, we would simulate losing the ability to use my lead hand or fighting with a high heart rate late deep into the final round.
By studying film, our plans are grounded in probabilities as we account for our opponent’s past ability to gain the advantage.
In the process, my team doesn’t neglect the outcome of a bad situation and we factor that into our preparation.
Instead of just relying on probabilities that a bad situation might occur, we prepare for those specific outcomes.
What if I had a broken hand? What if my opponent got me in an armbar on the ground?
Both times that it happened, I was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, quite literally.
No thanks to planning for my plan not going according to plan.
A great plan almost always has a built-in margin of safety.
A margin of safety is nothing more than a buffer between what you think will happen and the worst-case scenario. An easy example would be to have an emergency or rainy day fund in place.
But what is common sense isn’t always as common as you think.
According to a recent Bankrate survey, only 4-in-10 Americans said they could cover an emergency of $1,000 or more using funds from their savings account.
As another example, advisors often advocate diversification to create a margin of safety in investment portfolios.
This applies equally to things like health and fitness.
I would even argue that rest days are a necessary margin of safety in your training regimen. While it can be tempting to push yourself to the limit every day, this approach can lead to burnout, injury, and other negative consequences.
By taking a rest day once or twice a week, you provide a margin of safety for your body to recover and reduce the risk of injury or overtraining.
I’ve also personally benefitted from incorporating a margin of safety into my nutritional intake. Though I’m pretty pedantic when it comes to my diet, I’ve discovered that having some leeway for occasional indulgences or deviations from my usual food choices won’t derail my fitness progress as I once feared.
When it comes to healthy eating, many people focus on strict diets or cutting out entire food groups. While these approaches can be effective in the short term, they can also be unsustainable and even dangerous.
I actively opt for a treat once a week and try to rotate between a variety of foods in my diet. It actually helps me to avoid feelings of deprivation and enables me to stick to whatever workout plan I have over the long term.
Why then do some people still not bother having a margin of safety?
A common objection to having a margin of safety is that it can limit potential gains.
While having a margin of safety may limit gains in the short term, it can ultimately lead to greater long-term success by protecting against major losses.
Injury is one of the biggest reasons why some athletes unfortunately never live up to their potential.
It’s great to be a workout warrior and have incredible videos of yourself lifting weights on social media. But it’s also prudent for an athlete to have a margin of safety and train smartly and not risk putting themselves out of action.
In a sport like MMA, a lot can change when you’re medically unable to compete for six months.
Fortunately, my approach to diet, conditioning, and training kept me free and safe from major career-ending injuries.
As someone who has spent my career in a highly competitive and physically demanding sport, I can attest to the importance of building in a margin of safety in all areas of life.
Whatever your goals, intentionally leaving room for error and building a margin of safety creates a cushion that protects you against unexpected setbacks.
This helps you keep being productive, avoid disruptions and stay on track to achieving your goals.