This is part 8 of a 12 part series that I call the 12 X’s of Leadership
As the old saying goes, “Men and rivers seldom drift to success.” Achieving dreams. Obtaining goals. Hitting targets. They all require extra effort.
Think of it this way…to truly fulfill your potential you’ve got to be a rubber band. A rubber band never fully serves its purpose until when? When it is stretched around something bigger than itself.
That’s what it is like trying to make progress on purpose in your life. Think of anyone who has “made it” in some endeavor. They almost always had to work for it. Stretch for it. Reach for it.
Whether it is the politician, the professional athlete, the best salesrep, the teacher of the year, the top manager, or the great mom, every one of them had to exercise effort to get there.
Oh, but stinkin’ thinkin’ can sneak in. Ever hear someone say, “The only way to really make money is to own your own business.” Let me tell you the folly in words like that…It’s not what is said but rather what is left unsaid that follows words like that. What’s left unsaid is, “Therefore I’m not gonna work real hard around here.”
Exercising extra effort tends to create extra opportunities.
While this principle is easy to see in your professional life it is also true in your personal life. For example if you want a great family life, it takes extra effort. It takes work. It takes sacrifice.
I have discovered (and I’ll bet you have discovered the same thing) problems at work are patient—they’ll wait for you to come back.
Sometimes at work we need to sacrifice some home time—but this is a two way street—sometimes at home we need to sacrifice some work time.
But here is the good news…there is no traffic jam on the extra mile!