Creating and maintaining excellence in all you do
Systematic approaches for building routines of greatness and succeeding in life.
At GAPP we have three pillars which equate to Performance. From the Greek we use three words: Gumnazo, Agonizomai and Paidia to build and sustain lifelong Performance.
Gumnazo is the Greek word which English has derived “gymnasium.” Loosely it is translated to “training, ” but the Greek meaning is much more nuanced. The literal meaning describes a Greek sports training school where students trained naked. Some translators have emphasized the naked aspect as a way students focused on simplicity and shedding of the unneeded or cumbersome to focus solely on the goal. Students give themselves wholly to the training regiment. They devote themselves to their discipline and commit to the sacrifices required to attain elite performance.
Agonizomai has been translated as ”competes,” but the English word agony is derived from it. Competition does not require other competitors, and in our context we will be using it to denote self-competition, but not in an unbalanced or negative manner (expense of others). In other words, competition is a way to acknowledge the current state of performance and develop the drive and means to alter performance to better match a situation or desired end-state. But in that process, an understanding to achieve a new or higher level of performance inherently involves pain. Just like lifting weights make a person sore and tears down the muscles in order to rebuild them stronger, Agonizomai allows a person to appreciate the tortuous aspect of elite training and to find comfort in the suffering which makes us better.
Paidia is much more than just “discipline” as it is often translated. It specifies the type of discipline from a parent to a child; nurturing, but with teeth. It is not a hollow or superficial discipline, but meant to go to the core of a person’s being to elicit real change. It is not mindless busywork or retribution or punishment or the self-interests of the parent. It is out of love for a child to grow, thrive and flourish…but like a vinedresser after a pruning, there is death. Afterwards, the vine is able to produce more vibrant fruit. Paidia is uncomfortable. It makes us become more than we were before because we are challenged to aspire to our full potential.
We combine Gumnazo, Agonizomai and Paidia to gain Performance. These three pillars inform all we do at GAPP and how we instill Performance in our services.
In the middle of our logo is a derivative of Leonardo Da Vinci’s, Vitruvian Man (c. 1485), one of his more famous sketches which served as a model of ideal proportionality in the human body according to the Roman architect Vitruvian. For instance, four fingers are the same distance as the palm of the hand and four palms are the same distance as the foot. For us, it illustrates the connectedness of life and how balance comes through proportionality and perspective…the totality of how we experience life and the balance we need between the different aspects of life to achieve peace and centeredness. Some call it thriving, flourishing, hardiness, wellness, wellbeing or resilience.
Around the man are the domains of our life. We are physical, social, mental and spiritual beings and properly attending to each of these domains increases our strength, wellbeing and performance both in everyday situations and when we are struggling through the challenges of life. To neglect one or more of our life domains is to open a vulnerability for stress and turmoil to exploit. The colors around the man are not specific to the domain but rather represent fire, water, earth and sun. Primordial aspects giving and sustaining life on earth. Indigenous tribes used the for colors to represent the four cardinal directions – North, South, East and West – 360 degrees of life and living.
Our Vision is to create and foster all types of communities which adapt to meet challenges and brings out the best in all of its members
Our Mission is to provide training and education to corporate, civil, social and religious organizations to enrich their lives and build strong communities:
- Executive Training
- Supervisor/Mentor Training
- Team Building
We serve all communities, relishing the opportunity to take them and their members to the next level and have a particular interest in serving those who have particularly unique challenges and situations
Our Outreach Mission is to provide training and education to underserved and high-risk demographics to enrich their lives and build strong communities:
- Combat Veterans
- Trauma/Grief survivors
- Single parents
- Homeless
- Addicts
- Children of deployed parent(s)
- Unemployed/underemployed
View our event calendar for classes here