What you get is what you get. Physics tells us that if we put 50% of the energy into a machine, we can’t get more than 50% of the work out of it. The same thing happens in life. If you put 40% effort into a goal, you can expect a 40% return, but no more. To produce effective results in our lives, we must commit 100% to the result we want. However, most of us divide our energies between the things we don’t want and the things we do, and very often we put plus emphasis on the things we don’t want.
For example, I know a person who is in her 50s and for the past 20 years has wanted more free time to do the things she enjoys. His schedule is so hectic that it is taking a toll on him physically. When I ask him what he is doing to create more time, he says that he doesn’t have time to create more time. She spends 5 minutes each morning praying, begging to be given more time and then goes about her day, constantly running and doing things until he literally collapses in bed at night. Now let’s see the output of it and the return of it. Compare how much effort he is putting into getting more time with the amount he is putting into his old patterns of doing to exhaustion. Clearly, she expends more energy running erratically, so naturally that’s what she produces the most.
A good illustration of the importance of putting 100% effort into our goals came from an interview with Will Smith a few years ago. One day I was flipping through the channels and came across the Oprah show. Will Smith was being interviewed and, given my admiration for him, I decided to watch. One thing he said in that interview really impressed me. He was asked how he became so successful in music and he said that he just stood his ground. They all told him that he needed a plan B, something to fall back on, in case the music didn’t work out. However, his philosophy was that whatever time and energy he would put into Plan B, he would take away from him to achieve Plan A. She knew that it took total commitment to fulfill his dream, so she put everything into it. that he had in him. The result, of course, speaks for itself.
When you think about your dream, consider how much time you actually spend pursuing it. Consider these questions: Are you 100% committed to him? But because? Are you putting most of his attention on his old patterns or where he would rather be? What can you do today that will help you get much closer to your goal? Once you’ve answered these questions, make a firm commitment to do something every day, no matter how small, to move toward your goal. I wish you the best of luck!
