uvageek

How often is it that we underestimate our capabilities and skills?  How often do we over anticipate the competition, not willing to push ourselves to jump to the next level and press onward.  How often do we find ourselves reacting to a catalyst and brimming over the edge, having a fusion-esque reaction experience where we begin manifesting more and more power, re-energizing above our wildest thoughts and desires.

I know personally that nine out of ten times I’ll play it safe and hold myself from attempting to go for the unrealistic goal - occasionally putting myself out there and working to mitigate risks.  However, something that I’ve found is that there’s definitely a time to shy away from things and yet all the same, a time to go for the gusto and pull out all the stops.

Ferris reminds us that “it’s lonely at the top.  Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre.”  Looking at the professional world, this is quite true, individuals tend to adopt a virtue of mediocrity into work ethic, not wanting to rock the boat, simply going for the low hanging fruit.  Rather, what I take away from this is to push onward and reach for the skies.  I see this in the world of relationships just as well, the tendency to hold back and not work to get to know someone, regretting it and feeling mediocre for the next few months, continuing to question themselves as to how things could have turned out if they’d approached things differently.

“If the potential payoff is mediocre or average, so is your effort.”

More often than not, if I’m not being challenged, I won’t stretch and attempt to max out.  Granted at the same time, I’m not stating that you should push at your max at all times, but rather working somewhere between mediocre and max-out is the intended effort level which works to reach the unrealistic goals, rather than never reaching them at all.  If I have passion for a task, then much as Ferris mentions, “I’m prepared to do battle a dream that is worth dreaming.”

In the same way, finding what that motivation is, what that dream is sometimes takes a little time to hone and focus on.  Once we find what that is though, it’s more just working to find how to make them attainable.  “Doing big things begins with asking for them properly.”

When there’s a task at hand to lay out the framework, develop the architecture and implement what I’ve created, then I’m ready to work 12 hour days (yes this goes against the title of the book).  However when it’s just a task that robots should probably doing, then I’m ready to check out 15 minute later.  Keeping it exciting is the key to accomplishing the unrealistic and doing what they say can’t be done.