Never Settle For Less

A million and one things call for our attention each day.  From the time you wake up until the time you lay down you’re on the go.  With this kind of load its tempting to give a mediocre effort in order to slide some things off your plate.

Wait!  Before you do that allow me to interject with The Top 3 Reasons to Give 100%.  You may just change your mind.

1. Time

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Time is our #1 asset.  It’s the one of the few things we can’t control or ever hope to recover.  Once a minute is gone its truly gone forever.

With that said you may be asking yourself this question “Isn’t giving less than 100% in the best interest of my time?”.  Intuitively, this seems right.  You can “get something done” and get it off your plate.

There is a major problem with that mindset.  Half done tasks, workouts, projects, or other undertakings ALWAYS come back to bite you (often as even bigger issues).  I struggled immensely with this issue when I began my engineering career.  I constantly felt overworked and over tasked.  Instead of stepping back and analzying my situation I would do what I know now is the worst thing imagineable.  I’d put about 50% of myself into my projects so that I could clean out my task list.

The cycle would look like this:

• Put 50% of myself into my projects to clear my task list
• Pass the half completed work on to my manager
• Celebrate that my plate was empty!
• Get a storm of emails from my manager explaining what I needed to repeat
• Curse, whine, cry, sigh
• Start each half done project over from scratch

Dejected I’d trudge back to my desk and begin again.  This time I’d have even more to work on (the old 50% workload plus the new workload that comes with the territory).  After a few more trips in the repetitive workload cycle I realized that I was wasting a good chunk of my productivity churning out useless trash.

Although it may feel that putting 50% efforts into your projects is ideal it almost never works.  Inevitably the tasks that you slight will come back to you and you’ll have to start over from scratch.  In the meantime your most valuable asset will be wasting away.
Place a high premium on your time and spend it giving 100%.  Using 100% for one hour is a lot better use of your time than giving 20% for 5 hours.  Do the math.

About a year ago I had a terrible experience at one of my favorite restaurants.  The entire experience was terrible:

• The waiter was dressed in sloppy clothing
• A couple that came in 15 minutes after me received their food 10 minutes before me
• The silverware was dirty
• My food was undercooked
• The waiter took our orders incorrectly
• The assistant manager (the mangager wasn’t there) was extremely unapologetic for the entire ordeal

Before that experience I was easily spending $40 a week behind those doors. Over a year’s time thats $2,080 in revenue to a local restaurant.  I haven’t been back since.  If they lose 9 more people just like me (very likely based on the conversations I had) then they’ve lost $20,800 of annual revenue.  I’m sure the owner would much rather have the $21k.  He could’ve easily retained that money and received new customers through referral (I love to share good news ) had the restaurant been staffed with people who were putting their best foot forward.

I’ve never hidden my goals of being a professional speaker and writer and I won’t do it now.  By day I am a Supply Chain Environmental Health and Safety Analyst and at night I work on my speaking/writing career.  Since I’ve started to take my speaking and writing (blogs/poems/seminars/short stories) more serious I’ve run into a dilemma that fits perfectly into this article.

Working a full time 9-5 in a large company is very tiring.  I often have ideas zooming around in my head during the day that I can’t wait to come home and express.  Sometimes I’ll settle in to start writing and everything will flow like fine wine. Other times I’ll sit down and feel tired, lethargic, and my creative spark will be nonexistent.

I’ve forced myself to produce things for the sake of producing them a few times during my slumps.  The result is always the same…a very poor piece of work.  I feel vindicated for a short period of time before I realize that I’ve churned out some trash.  As a result I’ve stopped  writing or planning when  I’m obviously not up to giving 100% of myself.  The combination of providing poor value and conciously knowing that I’m pumping it out is enough to make me stop.
Anything you do from working out to writing is worth 100% of your focus.  Only then can you provide and receive the value you truly deserve.

3 - Carry Over

Think about 5 people that you know.  Whats your impression of these people?

Which ones do you consider to be:

• Hard Working?
• Dependable?
• Honest ?
• Decisive?
• Enjoyable?
• Lazy?
• Unreliable?
• Liars?
• Indecisive?
• Pain to deal with?
• Courteous?
• Jealous hearted?
• Vengeful?

Now look at the answers you’ve either written or mentally placed next to each question.  Notice a trend?  If not, keep looking.  The people who have the traits you desire (hard working, honest, enjoyable) don’t have many of the traits you don’t desire (vengeful, lazy, unreliable).  Attitudes and personalities transfer across all aspects of life.

It’s very rare to see a person who is a hard worker develop a serious lazy streak.  It’s equally rare to see a very lazy person sustain a hard working streak.

Ever met a royal pain in the butt who was also the most courteous person you ever met? I seriously doubt it

Do you have any extremely unreliable but extremely enjoyable friends? I have exactly 0
It just doesn’t happen.

If you begin to give 100% in one area of life you’ll soon be doing it everywhere.  Doing so will in turn give you more Time (1) to provide the Output/Value(2) important to you and those around you.

Anything worth doing is worth doing at 100%.  Never has a situation existed where this statement wasn’t true and the situation never will.  Once you begin to go at full tilt you’ll enjoy

1. More Time
2. Better Output
3. Carry over into other parts of life

I hope you enjoyed it.

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Yesterday I was sitting at the departure gate of my apartment complex getting ready to leave for work.  For some strange reason the gate takes a ridiculous amount of time to open (nearly 30 seconds at my last count).  That time is normally good to clear my head, get in the right mind frame to work out, or reflect on some things.  I chose option number 3.

Time as it relates to the past, present, and future tends to dominate my thoughts.  As the gears to my apartment gate squeaked and rotated my thoughts began to drift.

• What happened to me yesterday?
• What impact will I make today?
• What do I plan on doing tomorrow?
• Am I forgetting anything?

As I pondered on what I was forgetting the gate opened.  The wooden bar at the gate rose slowly.  A loud honk erupted from the car behind me.  I snapped back into life from my daydreaming and sped through the gate.  The driver behind me was incredibly angry.  Apparently I had stolen the most important 8 seconds of his life.  He rolled his window down and gestured for my attention.
“You wanna wake up buddy??!!!” he screamed.  He appeared to be very frustrated.  I gazed at him for a few seconds sizing him up for a response.  Finally, after 15 seconds or so I replied.

“The day just started.  I don’t really know you but its 6:30 am and I’m sure more important things have happened, will happen to you today, and in the future.  As soon as you press the gas again you’ll forget about this.  Have a great day ” I said.

He was genuinely confused.  I was happy.  I smiled and drove off to continue my day.  My point to him was things happen, they have an outcome, and then they are over.  That incident wasn’t worth the 3 minutes we spent on it.

View yesterday, today, and tomorrow the same way because in fact the wheels keep turning every day.

Yesterday is a Memory

History does have its place in society and in our hearts.  Without the past we’d have no foundation to build on.  It’s impossible to truly measure the impact of all the things that have happened in our lives (positive or negative).  With that said, why bother?  The opportunity to correct the past lies in today and tomorrow.  That’s exactly why the past is just that…the past.

An amazing amount of time is spent everyday wondering about things we can no longer impact.  Wondering with the what if’s, maybe I should have’s, and I really wish’s are wasteful.  Whenever I drift into this mode I picture myself as a hamster trapped in its wheel.  That hamster is working hard to put forth his best effort.  Unfortunately, he’s making no progress.  He’s on the wheel getting all worked up to go nowhere and do nothing.  Clinging to the past is like putting yourself on that hamster’s wheel.  All sweat, no return.

The impact of things past has already been made and is largely out of your hands.  One big thing sticks out to me about the past…IT’S GONE.  It can never be altered so I live in my present and future.

Today is Yours

Wake up with enthusiasm and hope every day for 3 main reasons:

1. You’re alive and able bodied
2. You can control 95% of what happens TODAY
3. You can be as creative as you desire

1 –> Breathing and Able Bodied

There’s something amazing and undervalued about being both alive and able bodied.  Having the ability to get up and go as you please is a privilege.  Viable health and strength give you the freedom to go and come as you please.  Do you know how powerful that really is?
There are so many people who have debilitating ailments that leave them bedridden, hospitalized, or incapable of enjoying all that life has to offer.  It’s utterly ridiculous for me to complain about the complications of my life (car payments, house payments, job nuisances) when there are people suffering from broken bones, cancer, and paralysis.
Celebrate my health and strength by making the most of it.

2 –> I Can Control 95% of What happens to me Today

That’s an incredibly powerful statement.  To prove it I’m going to brainstorm the things that can affect me in a day that I have absolutely no control over.

• Weather
• Traffic
• Gas Prices
• Other People’s Attitudes

It’s a relatively short list.
Now here’s the list of things I can control

• My Salary
• My Clothes
• The places I go
• People I Interact with
• Challenges I Undertake
• Workout or not
• Speed I travel on the Highway
• Amount of Work I do
• Foods I Eat
• Extracurricular activities
• Places I Spend my Money
• Things I Say
• What I Learn
• The Impact I Leave On Society
• My Attitude
• My Image
• The Opportunities I Create

The possibility to influence so many things on a day to day basis is exciting.  Each day presents a thousand opportunities for something dramatic to come into your life.

Case in point.  I’m always interested in finding new people to congregate with.  Age, race, sexual orientation, height, and religion are all arbitrary to me.  I enjoy the company of people who bring energy to life.  As a result my circle is rather unorthodox.  My friends range from young blue collar workers to nearly retired Fortune 25 executives.  To me people are people.

Today I couldn’t make it to the gym in the morning so I went in the afternoon.  During my routine I noticed someone working out that I had casually met a few weeks earlier in a sports bar.  I finished up my last exercise and was preparing to leave.  As I walked away from my machine our eyes connected for a split second.  He looked at me and I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to communicate.  I took my earphones out and the conversation began. I was in no way prepared for how strange it would be!

When the conversation was over I’d been intrigued, complimented, humored, and enlightened. My new found friend had

• Complimented my physique
• Complimented my background as an engineer
• Asked why I wasn’t a model
• Offered to help me start a career as a male dancer
• Requested that I expand my circle to himself and his friends
• Explained his business ideas to me
• Given me his full biography
• Offered to take me to some places I’d never seen in Atlanta
• Provided encouragement for my aspirations to speak professionally

Did I mention the conversation lasted a mere 4 minutes?  My new friend proved to be an interesting character.  He was very direct and forward with his compliments and questions.  Instead of being put off by him and his off centered nature I was refreshed.  I’m always searching for new and unique companions and he proved to be just that.  I quickly took down his contact information and made plans to meet up later.  I’m 100% sure I’ll learn something valuable from him and be able to draw on the positive energy he brings to life.

This happened because I took advantage of the opportunity I was presented with TODAY.

3 –> Creativity

Creativity is a precious cornerstone of existence.  Without creative thoughts and expressions our life would be bland.  Music, TV, blogs, computers, businesses, restaurants, college degrees, amusement parks, government structures, and holidays would all be non-existent if human beings lacked creativity.

Anyone can be as creative as they like.  By tapping into my own creativity I’ve began to create workout programs, stories,  movie ideas, blogs, business ideas/plans, poems, speeches, and non profit ideas that I plan to unleash on the world.  Those thoughts and ideas keep each day fresh and exciting.

Tap into your creativity.  You’ll find yourself refreshed and excited about the day at hand.  You never know, you could change the world while you’re at it.

Tomorrow is Priceless

I have an endless love affair with the possibilities of tomorrow.  Tomorrow I can see the results of what I’ve done yesterday and today come to life.  My blood, sweat, and tears can bear fruit tomorrow.  The new friendship that I created today can pay a thousand dividends tomorrow.  The new workout plan I started can help me shed weight and be ready for the beach tomorrow.  The blog I write can reach 1, 10, 100, 1,000 or 1,000,000 people tomorrow.   You never know .

Conclusion

The wheels of life turn every day.  They move at a steady pace that we can’t control.  Every second, hour, and day that passes us by is part of our history. While our past is important we can’t live there forever.

Today is our greatest asset.  Today you can create change.  Today you can meet new people.  Today you can re-establish relationships.  Today you can be creative.  Today you can correct any mistakes you’ve made. Today you can laugh, cry, frown, or smile at your own discretion.

Tomorrow gives us the opportunity to see everything we do, think, and believe come together.  A better tomorrow is created yesterday and today.

Everyday we live will at some point be a yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  With that knowledge live life to the fullest by respecting yesterday, living today, and being prepared for tomorrow. The wheels of life keep turning…don’t be left behind.

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Little is the most toxic word in the English language.  It’s in all our vocabularies and it rolls off the tongue without any thought or effort.  At the surface the word seems harmless, but a closer look reveals just how crippling the word Little really is.

Definition

Effects

For example

• I’ve started this Little health kick = I’m slightly interested in my health and I’ll likely let it go at the first opportunity.
• I’ve started this Little company on the side = I’m dabbling in something and I’m not fully confident it will work.
• I went to Chris’ Little presentation on sales = Chris is a peer (not an executive) so his ideas can’t possibly hold as much weight.
• I had this Little idea on how to help the department = I have an undeveloped idea that I’d like to express.  Please listen to me.

See what happens?

Just by uttering the word Little you immediately belittle your topic and steal power from its purpose.  You might as well set that idea on fire with gasoline and a match because its toast.
I know of 5 people in my immediate memory that have gone on Little health kicks, weight loss plans, or diets.  None of them have lost any significant weight.  Each and every one of them had all the information necessary to lose weight.  Each and every one of them labeled their efforts Little.

Similarly, I know plenty of people who have had Little businesses on the side for years.  The businesses generate very little traction, leads, or sales.  These are all very bright people who’ve fallen prey to Little thinking.  Whenever we discuss their business they find a way to sneak in a synonym of Little in the description.

Lack of Respect?

Little is a disrespectful word.  When aimed at yourself or others its equally toxic.
It’s a terrible thing to say about someone else’s projects, goals, efforts , or dreams.  Think not?   What’s worse than  saying someone else’s goals are undeveloped, insignificant, or weak?

Calling your own projects, goals, efforts, or dreams Little is self-sabotage plain and simple.  Why would anyone disrespect themselves in this way?

Conclusion

Using the word Little is an easy trap to fall into.  The word seems so insignificant…powerless…small…undetect
able.  Bringing that word to life does those exact things to you.  When you use it you become insignificant, powerless, small, and undetectable.

Words are more powerful than we give them credit for.  Little being one of the more powerful and covert.  We let it fly so often without paying attention.  Saying the word Little is like digesting a flavorless poison.  You don’t detect it and the effects aren’t realized until it destroys you.

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Making progress towards or meeting your fitness goals is a double edged sword.  Obviously it feels good to see that fat melt off your body.  Friends, family members, and coworkers shower you with a storm of compliments.  You finally get to drop off the "old you" at The Salvation Army’s donation bin.  By now you’re probably asking yourself "What’s the downside?".  Didn’t we all start down the path to better fitness in order to do things like

• Lose fat, build muscle and look better? Yes
• Be complimented for a discipline and hard work? Yes
• Get rid of the clothes that represented our old selves? Yes

Here’s the downside.  Everybody reading this blog and achieving fitness success is a human being.  From time to time we let our emotions and outside influences get the best of us. Once we start achieving results we get EXCITED.  With more excitement comes a better body, improved self-esteem, and a zest for the gym.

Then out of nowhere it happens!  Like a thief in the night the curse strikes.  We start to linger in front of that mirror a little longer to admire ourselves (you’ve worked this hard you deserve it right?).  We start to allow more cheat meals into the diet (you’ve worked this hard you deserve it right?).  Compliments massage the ear like our favorite love song (Thank you for the compliment.  I was just thinking that my chest looks awesome as well!)
As the Fitness Success Curse takes over you begin to notice a disturbing change.  The results that were once EASY to come by are mysteriously out of reach.  Before the curse infected you the gym was your playground.  It was yours for the taking every single day.  Before the curse took over you wouldn’t in your wildest dreams picture yourself:

• Breaking for 2-3 minutes between sets
• Working with the same resistance for a month straight
• Laughing and joking mid workout
• Taking a week off
• Eating out 4 times a week

The Fitness Success Curse makes you a shell of your former self.  I’ve fallen victim to it and used the following tactics to recover.

Don’t be Too Hard on Yourself

You have worked very hard for what you’ve achieved.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor and the body you have created.  Human beings are allowed to go through funks.  No one on planet earth can be perfect at all times.  If you find yourself slipping on the diet or training then call it a break.  Take this time to just relax!  WARNING:  Don’t let the break linger too long or you’ll ruin all your good work.  Set a date on the calendar to snap back into the swing of things and get back on track and stick to this date no matter what.

Return to Familiar Territory

I always have liked the phrase “stick with what got you here”.  Unfortunately, this is bad advice in fitness.  If your routine is the same for too long your progress will stop.  As people we find comfort in the familiar.  Revisit old workouts that you enjoyed and brought success.  You’ll be surprised at how much stronger you’ve gotten.  Your confidence will surge.  Most importantly you’ll back in the swing of things.  All of a sudden you’re back

Create New Goals

Going to the gym is a results based outing.  If you have no goals you’ll just shoot yourself in the foot.  You will literally be wasting your time.  Set out a clear set of goals like the old you had.

The Fitness Success Curse strikes many people.  It’s difficult to acknowledge once you’ve achieved a certain degree of progress.  A bit of self-reflection is in order to get the train back on the tracks. It can be easily tackled by remembering the antedote:

1. Don’t be too hard on yourself
2. Return to Familiar Territory
3. Create New Goals

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