We normally believe
that putting out a certain amount of physical energy
will produce a certain finite result.
However, there is another perspective. It is that by making the full effort and expending all
of one's energy, life takes over and fulfills what one could not fulfill
on one's own. In other words, life supports your extra effort
and takes up where you left off. This in turn reenergizes you as you
are pleased by the unexpected greater result.
For an example of this phenomenon let's revisit a story described earlier that indicates
how increased effort brings a new found level of success and prosperity, which in turn
leads to happiness and an increase in energy:
A salesperson at a computer center was relatively new to
the sales force, and in his first few months his sales were modest compared to the
veterans who were already there awhile. Each month when sales were tallied he seemed to
come up just short of the veterans results (for example, they would get $50000 in sales;
he would get $40000). A few times he was asked to come in on weekends to work, which he
did. During one period just after the end of year holiday rush he was asked to come
in a weekend after he had already worked five days straight during the week. In the past
he wouldn't have agreed to such a request for need of rest, and other reasons.
Reluctantly, he accepted the invitation to come in on that
weekend. After five minutes in the store a customer walked in and ordered $30000 in
sales, nearly equal to a months worth of sales for him in the past. In addition, in
the next few weeks even higher than usual sales accumulated for the remainder of that
month. At the end of the month most of the veterans sales tallied around $50-60000.
Our salesperson, however, accumulated $110000 in sales, the highest total monthly
sales in the computer center's history. He ended up making more money in that month
than in any month previous in his life. He created immediate prosperity in life
by changing an attitude. He also had more energy than before because just because he
made the extra effort. In addition, as a result of that effort he became more confident,
prosperous, and happy, which in of itself made him feel even more energetic.
Our conclusion then is that a higher
level of effort can actually increase rather than decrease one's energy level. It
can even invoke a positive
responses from life as in the above instance.
Here's another example:
In Dee Hock's book Birth of the
Chaordic Age, he describes an extraordinary situation where he is
trying to get the visa credit card scheme under way. At one point things
apparently are not going well in most aspects of his life. He is reduced
to learning franchise banking at a branch. At one point while working in
the bank he and his assistant were unable to balance the books at the end
of the day. His assistant suggests that the missing deposit is in the
basement in the garbage. He is humiliated by this turn of fortune in his
life, considering his previous position, but shakes that off is pride, and
goes through 10 barrels of garbage to find it. At one point his co-worker
says she has found it. Hock then narrates that only a few days later an
official told him that Bank of America decided to go ahead and franchise
the BankAmericard credit card scheme he had worked to develop, and needed
his help in the implementation This was a great moment in his life, and in
the history of credit card use.
It was his willingness to put out the last bit of
effort in going through
the
garbage that led to this great positive "life response."
SELF-ANALYSIS:
-Think about a few situations where you took an extra effort which led to a very positive
opening in your life. What caused you to make that extra effort? Was it caused by life's
pressures? Can you instead make making an extra effort part of your own initiative rather
than life's compulsion?
-Examine situations in your life where you need to take a greater amount of energy or
effort. Take that extra effort. Thereafter see if you have a whole new level of capacity,
energy, and success that wasn't there before.
Further Reading -To learn more about the
phenomenon of "life response," click here.
For
additional Growth Online thoughts on the power of hard work and extra effort, click
here.
