For most of us, the answer to the question, “Are you pushing yourself hard enough?” is “No.”
If we’re honest with ourselves, there are parts of our lives, including our careers, our relationships and our own personal development, where we are leaving progress, achievement and satisfaction on the table.
We rationalize the amount of effort we’re willing to put forth to move forward in these areas, and we set a cap on our own success. Recognize any of these?
- Just one little bite of that dessert.
- I make enough money. I want balance in my life.
- I’ll do it later.
- That was just a dream.
- The competition was too tough.
- I can’t…
- I don’t know how to…
- I don’t have time…
- I’m good with myself
- I don’t have time to read/study/go back to school/learn something new…
We often settle for good when with effort, great is within reach.
Getting Beyond Good is Often Uncomfortable:
Strivers…those that pursue growth and personal achievement every day, understand the interplay between the variables of effort, commitment, action and their combined impact on outcomes. They live according to this math.
Strivers understand that metaphorically, there’s always more gas in the tank to draw upon, no matter how hard they’ve tried and how tired they’ve grown.
And Strivers understand that parts of their journey through life will be on lonely and uncomfortable stretches of road. They are happy choosing discomfort in pursuit of growth and development. They understand that the conscious choice of striving and struggling in pursuit of something that is important is a profoundly personal issue.
Good is never good enough, when great is comprehensible.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
We need more strivers. Until the balance of the news in our newspapers and on our screens shifts in favor of successes versus failures, goals achieved and exceeded versus problems created, we don’t have enough people striving for success.
We all seek inspiration in our own ways. The best way I know to move towards a goal is simply to stop thinking about it and start moving. Action begets more action, and with progress comes learning and growth. Before you know it, you’ve moved from your comfortable position on the couch to the uncomfortable and exhilarating position of knowing that success is within reach.
How many parts of your life might benefit from a bit more effort on your part? If there’s even one, it’s time to start moving forward.
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About Art Petty: Art mentors high potential professionals and develops and delivers powerful and pragmatic workshops and programs on leadership, professional development and building high performance teams. Contact Art to discuss your needs for a program or keynote. And whether you are an experienced leader seeking to revitalize and develop as a professional, or, a new leader looking for guidance on starting up successfully, check out Art’s book with Rich Petro, Practical Lessons in Leadership at Amazon.com.
Art,
Striving and working harder are important, but maybe it’s more important to define structures, implement systems and follow processes that generate more productivity with less effort. The problem with working harder is that it’s not sustainable. Lazy productivity is.
Now, of even greater importance is the Packers v Bears game. That is going to be a good game, the way football was intended to be played.
All my best,
Andy
Hey Andy! Like the Bears/Packers fans we are, it’s not difficult to imagine that you and I come at topics from different perspectives. My view on this one is deep into self…that fire in the belly…the ability to move from idea to action. As we move above and beyond the person to the organization, I move towards your view.
The “game” is truly taking on epic proportions here in the great and frozen middle part of the country. It truly doesn’t get any better than this! Thanks as always for sharing! -Art
Art,
This is a great post. I have seen many people that have had great potential but did not realize it because they were not willing to travel the untraveled roads. Continuing to be a striver every day is one of the greatest challenges in life. I constantly try to maximize my potential and stretch myself a little more each day. Thanks for blogging about such a relevant topic. Brandon
Thanks, Brandon! In my experience, it’s those that find that extra push…that little bit of fuel in the tank, that achieve or exceed their goals. Thanks for reading and commenting. -Art
Interesting post Art;
However this time I have to disagree with one point, does pushing our selfs help us realize our potential and bring satisfaction or does having joy with the work we are doing bring our our greatest potential? Loving what you do or who you are with brings out the best in us all. It releases limits and makes the hard work seem easy. This isn’t taught in most business books, only the ones that consider compassion in the workplace.
Oh by the way Bears by 6
Bob, thoughtful push back. I cannot separate striving for something that is important to me from the joy of the effort, experience and ultimate success. And I agree with your points on loving what you do. Oh, and not a chance on that point spread! Pack by 14. -Art
Good is the enemy of great right? At least Jim Collins thinks so…
Wise man, that Jim Collins. Thanks, Scott! -Art
This is an interesting topic. I believe that each person has a definition of what they consider success. There are many that feel they have already reached it. Others view it as a ladder- reaching one rung of success at a time- being content with that rung until they feel they are ready to move on and strive for the next. Others are never content & want to pass 3 or 4 rungs at a time & get to what they view as the top as quickly as they can. On top of all this is a matter of priorities- people make time & put forth more effort for the things they view as the most important in their lives. Those that work simply for the purpose of funding the things they truly enjoy probably don’t have the same professional drive as others that love their work. Others don’t view professional success nearly as important as personal achievements. Until we walk in another’s shoes to know why they view success the way they do- it’s hard to say that they are not giving enough.
Thanks, Gina. We are in agreement that this is an intensely personal choice. -Art
I think the only reason people strive is either to get something they want or they are truly happy with what they do. It would be nice if everyone was a striver, because that means they are happy.