The Aggregation of Marginal Gains

This past week BYU's Management Society had their Asia Area conference in Singapore. We were able to attend several sessions and enjoyed meeting many interesting people. Singapore's Mission President Tai Tolman was a keynote speaker, and he shared the story of Britain's biking team that went from being a losing team to a winning team through the principle of "aggregation of marginal gains." This biking team achieved astounding results by focusing on many small things, from the weight of their bicycles to the style of the bikers' clothing to even the type of cream used for massages after races. This story is in the book Atomic Habits and was also shared in a General Conference talk from 2021 called One Percent Better. In thinking more about this principle, I have found that an aggregation of marginal gains fits the experience of my mission really well.

As is often the case, I am interested in the use of language and what aggregation and marginal mean. I'll clue you in on what I learned:

• Aggregation means a cluster of things that have come or been brought together.

• Marginal means minor and not important.

It is amazing how a large number of small and simple things can come together and that through those things come changes either expected (by those paying attention) or unexpected. Here is an aggregation of some things around me that I think make a difference:

Flowers: You may have noticed in our pictures that we often share flowers. Early in our mission I became fascinated by all of the different plants, bushes, and trees that have flowers on them. There are so many of them here and I don't think a week has gone by where I haven't found another unique flower blooming from a plant I didn't know would bloom. When I become weary of living in a bustling city of seemingly endless buildings, transportation, and people, I find joy in these small reminders of a Higher Being who created beauty for us. These flowers may seem minor in their importance but for me they are an incremental gain in keeping myself emotionally healthy. Besides, Sean loves it when I say "wait, I need to take a picture of that flower!"

The Thoughtful Bunch: The thoughtful bunch are a group of five characters created in 2014 as part of a campaign to improve graciousness on public transport in Singapore. We see billboards and signs about these characters in MRT stations and on public buses. The characters are:

• Stand-Up Stacey: who gives up her seat for those who need it more.

• Give-Way Glenda: who queues and lets others alight (that's Singapore for "get off the train") first.

• Move-In Martin: who moves in so that others can board.

• Hush-Hush Hannah: who keeps her volume down so that others can enjoy a quieter ride.

• Bag-Down Benny: who puts his bag down so that others have more room.

These signs might seem a little cheesy, but I have noticed that people on public transportation in Singapore are generally thoughtful and polite. I have come to appreciate that someone will often give up their seat for me. I believe the signs really do help people to be more thoughtful and I think we can all use a little more graciousness with one another.

Weekly Reports to Mission Leaders: Every young missionary is expected to write a letter to their mission leaders each week to report on how they are doing. In our training we were also encouraged to make a weekly report about what we are doing. Since we arrived in Singapore we have been consistent in writing a combined weekly email to the seven sets of mission leaders we serve. We generally share a report of the number of missionaries I am meeting with, some general information about mental health, and a miracle we have experienced. These emails may be minor in their significance, but they are also a weekly reminder that I am here and that the mental health of missionaries is important. I believe that through the aggregation and consistency of these emails I am building trust with mission leaders.

On a side note about these weekly reports, before our mission as our congregation's self-reliance specialist I would write a weekly thought for all members. I was never sure how many people ever actually read them, but the weekly writing introduced me to the numerous wonderful resources for emotional health on our church's website. I have been grateful for that knowledge as I am often looking for the right information to send to a missionary to read for further information on something we've discussed.

Focus on Mental Health and Emotional Well-being: This past week there was a press release from the church about keeping missionaries safe. I was particularly drawn to its emphasis on mental health, emotional well-being, and the importance of training in stress management. Improvement can feel marginal, but making consistent efforts to train and focus in these areas will deliver real gains for all of us.  Our mental and emotional health can be either harmed or improved by many small things such as: exercise, eating, sleep, and thinking patterns.  Other factors include genetic predispositions towards mental health disorders, exposure to traumatic events, relationships, emotional resilience, stress management, emotional awareness and acceptance, and medication. During my mission I have struggled with the unavailability of some of the coping skills that previously helped me with my mental health. Fortunately I have found some small gains in other areas that are making a huge difference for me. I look forward to using what I have learned about thinking patterns and shifting my focus to continue to grow well into the future.

Finally, coming soon to a blog near you: I have been adding some small Christmas preparations to my routine including ordering some ornaments and mini lights to decorate our apartment and crocheting a nativity. I'll share a picture of the finished product when I get there!

Photos

1-3: The Coast to coast hike is almost complete! We have gone from Checkpoint 10 down to past Checkpoint 1. Just a couple kilometers of the 36 left to go. And we found a monument to us "Year of the Horse" folks.

4-5: These came in after we went to press last week, but here are a couple better shots of the dinner at which I met the American Ambassador (though not for long, given this week's election)

6: Some AI fun at a class this week as part of the BYU Management Society Asia Area Conference that was held in Singapore.

7: Looking forward to Singapore Stake Nativity