The Secret to Giving 110%

The secret is… you can’t give 110%. It’s not possible, so you can stop trying.

I think the misconception comes from a false assumption that we normally operate at 100%. So when we give more than we normally do, we naturally attribute that to going above our “100%.” More accurately, we don’t regularly operate at 100%. Not even close, and that’s not really a bad thing. If we always gave 100%, we’d burnout quickly. You see, we’re not machines.

We need that excess capacity so that we can give 100% when it necessary. That way we can seize the moment, on our terms, when it’s most advantageous to us (or our team). So we can come through in the clutch.

After all, that’s what giving 110% is all about.

originally posted on RoguePolymath blog.