Roger Lajoie operates Triumph Sports Communications, a leader in providing editorial, broadcast and public relations services.

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The Rog's Rant

Anytime is a good time to go the next level

I love clichés. Although they can be a little much at times, clichés become clichés because they are true.

One of the clichés you hear a lot in sports is “taking your game to the next level.” It implies that no matter how hard you are working, there is another level you can hit if you put your mind to it.

It’s true, there is always another level you can reach for in sports and in life too. Just watch the playoffs in any sport if you don’t think that is true.

Certain teams and athletes seem to have that knack of elevating their games to an even higher level than their usual excellence when it matters the most – which is the playoffs of course. It’s a magnificent thing to see when an athlete or an entire team manages to do that.

Just watch the NHL and NBA playoffs on right now for example. Night after night there are players digging down deeper and finding a way to elevate to the next level, even after a tremendously long and grueling regular season. It’s magnificent to watch them – they are the guys who will lift the Stanley Cup or the NBA trophy when the season ends. The guys that can’t go higher stop playing after the early rounds.

It happens all the time in sports and it happens all the time in business and in life in a lot of areas too. It’s a matter of shrugging off self-imposed limits and really “going to the next level.”

Best case ever of course was Roger Bannister, who became the first man to run the “impossible” four-minute mile back in 1954. After he did, hundreds of other runners followed in quick order, also breaking that mark. The current record is now 17 seconds less than that “impossible” four minute barrier.

Until he did it four minutes was impossible. Now it’s the middle of the road standard and quickly after it fell, everybody started running under four minutes. Honestly, within a year after it was broken the four-minute mile was almost passé.

Going to the next level is not reserved just for athletics, it happens in every walk of life. It’s a goal of mine now that I’ve turned 50 (and thanks so much to all of you for your kind wishes by the way!) to do just that as well.

I’m going to be working on several major projects in the next few months that will require a trip to that “next level” for me personally, and for the people that are working with me on them as well. We all can’t wait to see if we can find that next gear you see in sports.

My first book, “The Road to Hockeytown, Jimmy Devellano’s 40 years in the NHL” will be published by Wiley Publishing in August and several other ventures will be begun around my already busy schedule. So I need to get to that next level.

Can’t wait to try. And in the meantime I will watch these NHL and NBA playoffs to get some inspiration, because there’s plenty of it there. If you need a little impetus to move up a step in whatever you do for a living, I suggest you watch them carefully because there’s a lot of examples on just how to do it.

That’s what makes the playoffs in sports the best time of the year, without question. Watch those guys head into another gear – and get inspired by it yourself.

You don’t have to run a four minute mile or win a Stanley Cup, but if you can dig a little deeper who knows what you can accomplish in your own life.

It’s a cliché, “going to the next level” for sure.

But it’s a cliché because it’s true and it can be done – by anyone with the proper motivation.

Comments on The Rant of April 8 on The Big 5-0:

“Happy Birthday The Rog! I always enjoy your positive approach to life and your career, good for you. You deserve all of the success you’ve enjoyed, congratulations.” – Elliot in Toronto

“50 is the new 30 Rog. Or that’s what I said when I turned 50 three years ago! Best of everything my friend.” – Steve in Toronto

Email your comments to therog@rogerlajoie.com

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