50 (per) Cent Part II – EXPLORE IT
I am so scared.
Yesterday we discussed a huge problem in our society: when you or I give 50% of what we are capable of (hence the allusion to my friendly, rapping friend – 50 Cent.)
We also determined that just ‘trying harder’ is not the answer. Nor is trying something new… a new Daytimer, book, system, meditation, or guru might help for a few days but will gradually fade.
You might think it is lack of discipline or knowledge that causes someone to give 50%. I don’t. Why? All of us are disciplined at things that really matter to us. I know a lot of people very disciplined about logging into Facebook every single day to update their Status or upload pictures… or others that check e-mail every hour on the hour…no discipline issue here. I also know many people very disciplined at eating 5 times per day… or bathing, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and making sure they wear clean clothes on a daily basis. Even watching television or wasting time seems to be something a lot of us are very, very disciplined at. No, it’s not discipline.
Lack of Knowledge or How-To? Not possible. Every bookstore, library, television, or Internet connected computer can download the ‘How’ in seconds. There is never a time when so much information about how to do something is at our fingertips.
No, it’s something deeper… like a coffin buried six feet underground, layers of dirt have been piled on. It’s time to do some grave digging:
Layer 1 – Lack of Effort
(shows up as giving 50% – for example, when your Boss provides you with a pathetic Performance Review filled with dribble)
… digging…
Layer 2 – Lack of Advanced Preparation
(dedicated, focused time spent by your Boss thoroughly preparing for the Performance Review meeting instead of making a lot of it up on the fly)
…digging…
Layer 3 – Lack of Planning and Focus on the Most Important
(answering e-mail, mindless meetings, etc. take priority because these tasks are urgent and easy… no time is blocked in advanced for important, non-urgent tasks like preparing for your Performance Review)
… digging…
Layer 4 – Busyness (trying to do too many things in a day, week, or month)
… digging…
Layer 5 – Desire to Project a Certain Image to the World (‘Hey, World! Look at me! I am so busy!’)
… digging…
Layer 6 – Caring Most of All About How the World Views Us – Others’ Opinions Guide How We Live
… digging…
Layer 7 – Fragile Self Esteem based on External Comparisons and Opinions
… digging…
Layer 8 – Not Believing We Have Any Internal or Inherent Value as a Human Being – our worth comes from what we are able to DO or projecting an image of DO-ing.
Now, we have dug down to the source of the problem. Someone struggling to know who they are and if they are valuable will care a lot about what other people think… and having other people think that we have a lot going on is important. Even if preserving this image hampers our ability to put quality time into accomplishing really great things.
To get where we really want to go, we need to do some Quiting – we will explore what and how to ‘Quit’ tomorrow.
You make some wonderful points here, Andrew. I love how you took time to investigate each layer. Wonderful article.
In my opinion, I certainly agree with you. Maybe this doesn’t tie in directly with the topic, but in terms of giving 50% on projects, I think sometimes it relates to our global Instant Gratification problem.
We are in a world of NOW, and most specifically a world of ME. Now and Me can just about summarize where our world is going. Our world is becoming completely narcissistic , and not only that, but it allows us the ability to become that way instantly. Just update a facebook, twitter, linkedin, or myspace status and instantly everyone knows what you are up to. Click on someones profile and see their pictures instantly. Turn on the TV and watch your shows now, or TIVO them.
This goes with food. Most people would rather enjoy a burger, brownie, or brew, instead of using strong determination and will power to receive the body they hope to have later in life.
So, what do we do in these situations? We half A$$ it. We put in half the effort. We set up a plan:
Example – Ok, I’ll eat this burger, but I’ll run 3 miles later, and have some yogurt at night. Tomorrow I’ll eat a salad, and run again, and then let myself have a tasty treat.
Example 2- I’ll spend 30 minutes on Facebook looking at profiles, and then 30 minutes doing actual work. “This helps to keep me sane” at work, is what I hear.
Instant Gratification. Its a growing problem.
Hope this provided some food for thought for your readers.
Rich
What do you think causes someone to half ass something in their life?
Maybe some people lack having an end-goal in mind. When I was in school, I gave 100% because I wanted to pass and to do the best that I could. I knew that I would not have done well if I had given only 50%.
Rich, my man – awesome comment – and so true. We are a world of ‘starters’ and not finishers. We are addicted to something new without the perservearance, will power, and discipline to see it through.
True, Scott – sounds like you created a compelling enough reason for yourself to stay at 100% all the way through. Awesome.