xtraordinary expectations, extraordinary results. Over the last 30 years, we at the Liminal Collective have been studying top athletes to better understand and better consider how we think about human performance and the culture of excellence. How do we get better at ourselves? How does better at you equal better at what you do? How can we better explore the edges of elite performance?
Within the Liminal Collective there is a general framework for building a better Human. There is the self, there is the team, and there is the world at large, or as we say; Better You, Better Team, Better World. Here we’ll discuss what we mean by better people, better collaboration, and the larger global impact. The principles for Human Performance and their role within the Liminal Collective are two main drivers to help advance someone's craft and skills and to have higher human performance. What Liminal brings to the table is the collective wisdom of a multitude of top level performers in various fields who have experienced the culture of excellence and want to democratize this knowledge for others striving for greatness.
Better You
A fundamental anchor of the Liminal program is understanding the importance of knowing one’s self in order to be better - Better you, Better at what you do. No, we aren’t trying to “make you better”, that language is misleading and can be a trap. We’re all different, where we come from, our background, culture, community, and our reactions to different scenarios or stressors. Being self aware enough allows one to thrive, value and contribute within their environment. Liminal Collective is here to support you in your journey to being a better you. To better know one’s self is the first pragmatic step in the framework.
An athlete needs to understand who they are as an individual before they can advance their personal performance peaks. Most athletes already have a certain level of physical strength, but what happens after that is essentially a mixing board that needs to be tweaked and adjusted based on one’s honest mindset, process, and delivery. What are your values? What is your personal ethos? How do you pressure test this to live and act according to your words? As one explores these questions and others, we can tap into an authentic honesty and break down barriers that will assist in advancement.
Be daringly honest with yourself, and be transparent about your values. What is our story when things are easy and what is our story when things are hard? Think about how you want your story told, and how your actions align with that story. Next, think about how your story intertwines with the stories of others around you.
Better Team
The Liminal Collective believes that developing a better you equals a better we. One important aspect of self knowledge is understanding when you should lead and when you should follow within your team. This can be difficult for some people, but it proves to be essential for self and team success. Knowing your strengths and capabilities and when you are able to best deliver those capabilities in order to maximize the team’s situation is key.
Another essential ingredient for a team is knowing one another’s stories. Sharing your core stories and self with teammates is a powerful way to tackle challenges within a team setting. By creating a bond and a level of vulnerability with one another we eliminate the amount of assumptions we make about one another, therefore avoiding unnecessary situations, and elevating team dynamics.
A good team should thrive, add value and contribute to the team environment and to one another’s journey. Your sense of purpose is the grounding piece of why you’re existing within your team. Better team dynamics lead to a groundswell of change.
Better World
After living closely to a culture of excellence, the Liminal Collective is excited to step outside of these experiences and share them with the world.
When individual and team dynamics are functioning at high levels, we can enter a third phase of growth where the impact begins to affect the world around us. As a surface-level example, when a local sports team wins a championship it doesn’t just affect the players and the team staff—it creates an edifying and inspiring experience for the people watching as well. These knock-on effects can be both material and spiritual. This is a natural progression of self-awareness and exploration, and a true privilege for us to witness. Who could we be? How can we create a better society? Where do we fit in that society and what am I doing to achieve it? These are the questions we are constantly asking ourselves.
The hardest things to focus on at times are things like communication, trust, and our personal ethos, but when we continuously work on these things, and pressure test them as individuals and as teams, we learn about ourselves and in turn, the world around us in a truly authentic way. Constantly learning, constantly expanding our circles, and creating a community aligned with advancing human potential is one of our core values. Part of driving the world forward is taking on challenges on the margins—the most difficult endeavors humanity has undertaken, like landing on the moon. What stories do we want to share, create and impart about our place in this world? How will they lead to a better future? We’re looking for the answers to these questions every day at Liminal Collective.
