You Can’t Give 110%!

We are approaching that time of year when everyone starts to push for the “strong finish”. How many times have you been asked to give a 110% effort to hit a goal? At such times, we begin to hear and see much concerning the concept of living the balanced life; like so many wonderful things, it is easy to talk about and difficult to achieve.

 The high-pressure world in which we operate is a subtle thief. Every direction in which you turn someone is asking for just a little bit extra. In an effort to be good people, we try to find a way to meet all of the requests. But, consider this basic fact; every time we attempt to find that 110% effort, the 10% comes at the expense of something else. Logically, we will then seek to repay that 10% another time with its own 110% effort. The result is a reinforcing cycle of “robbing Peter to pay Paul”. Most often such a situation is marked by frustration, disappointment, regret, and ultimately sadness. How do people in the whitewater of competition find solutions to such issues?

First, each of us must come to the realization that we do not have 110%. A person only has 100% to give………That’s it! No one can give more and no one should ask for or expect more.

The good news is we always have 100% to offer at any given moment in time. It is our choice and we control that moment completely. Reality is that some people’s 100% yields more than others, but the fact remains constant; all have 100%. How much of your day is committed to that level of effort? What could be achieved if we all made conscious decisions to do just that? Is there any doubt about the success we might enjoy if we all consciously approached each day with such an attitude?

John Wooden addresses this concept of success in his book, Wooden on Leadership beautifully. His philosophy concerning success and competition rings with a harmony that is so much in need today. Coach Wooden believes we should never worry about whether we are better than someone else, but never cease trying to be the best we can be. In all his years of coaching he never spoke to his teams about winning or beating someone else; only about giving their best all of the time; that is all any of us can control anyway. If we live in such a manner the winning will take care of itself; peace of mind and success are guaranteed.

As the pressure to close the year “successfully” mounts, many will feel that such a perspective just isn’t practical; “our situation is different.” The seasons will change, deadlines will pass, new goals will be set, and many will marvel again about the dynasty that Wooden built and wonder how it was possible.