Since today is the second part of Star Wars Day – following May the 4th Be With You, there’s the Revenge of the 5th – I thought I’d start off this post with one of the more memorable quotes from the franchise:
Its a Trap!
Yup, there’s a trap right there in front of you and if you’re not careful, you’ll put you foot right in it.
That trap is what I’m calling the Myth of 100%. You’ve got to be at 100% all the time. But the problem is that we tend to see 100% as an absolute. 100% is peak performance. It’s your high-water mark. The thing is, operating at an absolute isn’t sustainable. Not even the Ocean – which has a lot more energy than you do – maintains that high water mark. There’s ebb and flow.
Now you might be thinking, well of course there is. It’s the Ocean, that’s natural. But we’re natural too.
The thing we have to come to grips with is that some days 100% will only be 60% of your high water mark. As the days go by and you go on being human, that percentage will vary. Some days it’ll be higher, some days it’ll be lower. But even at the extreme ranges, you’re still doing the best you can. There’s loads of people out there who will argue against the idea that 100% on a 30% day is no different than 100% on 95% day.
Those folk are not only wrong, but they’re fooling themselves – assuming that they hold themselves to the same standard they’re demanding you impose on yourself.
Simply put: High performance is doing the best you can, where you’re at, with what you have.
And that’s naturally going to vary
And that’s ok.
Thanks for reading. Be safe out there. Be Excellent to Each other – and yourself.
I’ll see you on Thursday.
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