211 vs. 212
29. 211 vs. 212
For starters, I have to give credit to www.simpletruths.com for this Tool. As you strive to learn more on how to succeed and improve your outlook on life, I believe they are tops in this department.
I was lucky enough to see this video called 212, The Extra Degree at a seminar and it really made a lot of sense. You see, at 211 degrees water is very, very hot, but at 212 degrees water is boiling and begins to produce steam.
What is so important about this lesson in science is that it teaches us something just as important in life. It shows us that with just a little more effort we can make a significant difference and change in something. Why this is so valuable to understand is many of us don’t tackle personal goals and growth because we believe it is too hard and there is just too much that needs to be achieved. Understanding this principle shows us that the difference between good and great is just a small amount of additional effort.
I think what can also be taken away from knowing this is you may be very, very hot right now and doing a great job. Second place does get a silver medal and in most contests gets a decent amount of money for the effort. So if you want to strive to be the best, you don’t need to double your efforts; you just need to up your effort. It may be simply doing just one extra thing a day. Making one more phone call, reading one more page or giving one more compliment. In addition, if you think you are just doing the worst job, knowing what you know now in this Tool you may be warm. Warm is technically hot, just not as hot as it could be and definitely not boiling.
So I think the best way to use this Tool is to remind yourself of what a little extra effort can do. Understand that the difference between first and second is usually only a small percentage and while it requires very hard work to finish the race, it doesn’t require you to give an effort that you can’t achieve. Use this to understand that if you are striving for a good life or the life of your dreams, the extra effort you need to make is just a small “tick” and is achievable.
By setting this mindset up in your brain, you will seize opportunities that arise to turn up the heat just that one extra degree. You now know that for the most part you don’t need to double your efforts, only increase your efforts a little more each day.