What is "raising your number by one"?

Now is the time to……. Raise your number by one

Sometimes I like to take a really short, deep rest with yoga nidra - a practice that's like sleeping, and it's a quick way to rejuvenate mid-day. (#coachinghack) I follow Ally Boothroyd on youtube. Ally always begins by asking me to see if I can get "just one percent more comfortable".

With a quick scan of my body, I can usually find that moving one hand, adjusting a pillow, taking a sip of water, or covering my eyes, with the intent of becoming "one percent more comfortable", ends up with me feeling waaaaay more comfortable and without any pressure. 

Awaken alumni Clare Walker, who is coaching lead at Vodafone, puts the concept this way:

"I often ask people what number indicates how they are feeling. 3, 5, 9? Then I ask why they are that number and not the one BELOW? Why are you a 3 not a 2? What good thing has happened to bring you up from a 4 to a 5? This allows the person to look at the positives.

One lady on a call told me she was a 3. I asked “Why 3, not 2?”, and she said she was up, showered, and dressed. “That’s brilliant” I told her, “because some people don’t make it that far”. She told me if she went and had some breakfast, she’d be a 4. Excellent - heading in the right direction. She told me in a later session that she now always looks for the +1 in her day.

Why not do something YOU want to do that will raise your number?"

The trick is making it the tiniest nudge, with no pressure. Just one number, specific to you. Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.