|
Many people will do the minimum they can to get by
Have you ever noticed how many people operate at way below their potential? The genius who works an average office job, the fantastic woman who dates losers, the talented artist who spends all day in front of the TV. Why do such people not put in more effort?
I think there's something about us humans that's inherently lazy. We're willing to put in just enough effort to get by, but not much more. At least, that's the case with many people.
You can see this particularly in relationships. We all know somebody who's in a toxic relationship and think to ourselves: "Why do they put up with it?"
It's probably the "doing minimum to get by" problem. That person may not be happy in their relationship, but finding something better is just too much work. Even putting in the effort to improve their current relationship takes effort and a step outside the "comfort zone".
So they just coast on in a barely acceptable situation instead.
The flip side of this coin is that when you challenge people, you can often be surprised at the results.
We've all been thrown into situations where we felt way out of our depth before. Whether it's learning to drive, starting a new job, or hanging out with a new group of people. Suddenly we think to ourselves "I'm not up to this". And boy does it sting.
But if pushed, we can rise to the challenge. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles will be overcome. Yes it hurts, but we come out the other end a better person.
Sports coaches often see this at work. When I was younger, I used to do swimming training. I can remember the first few days of the training, the coach would insist I complete the program he set for me. That meant, among other things, a 500 meter swim just for warm-up. I'd never swum such a distance before and it was extremely hard.
In fact, there were times when I thought I might drown. But the coach pushed me to keep going long after I would have given up if it was up to me. The social pressure made me complete the warm-up.
Within weeks, I was swimming such distances regularly. I'd be doing kilometres of hard training without a second thought. I'd been forced to push far past my boundaries. And when the chips were down, I found I could do so.
Look at areas in your life where you're doing the minimum to get by. Have the courage to admit this to yourself.
Then put yourself in a situation where you'll be pushed to go way past the boundaries you've set. Circumstances involving social pressure are particularly good for this - jobs, courses, coaching and so on. Yes, it will hurt in the beginning. You'll feel weak, hopeless and out of your depth. But you'll come out of it a stronger person - guaranteed.
 | Don't get sucked in by empty promises | | I was at a work function last night where we were all getting treated to free drinks and food. There was a very attractive girl there who was enjoying the attention of many of the men. |  | Take the initiative in establishing new relationships | | The world is filled with people who are dissatisfied with the state of their relationships. They think they haven't got enough others in their lives, or else they believe the others they have aren't up to scratch. Whether it's friendships that are missing or something more, a lack of satisfactory relationships is a common complaint. |  | Don't hate your body too much, it's the most amazing machine on the planet | | We live in a society fixated on machines and gadgets. The media obsesses over iPods, BMWs, laptops and phones. And we consumers gobble up every titbit of information available on those topics. | | Science is the closest thing to verifiable truth that we have | | Wait! If you're the type of person who reads the word "science" in a title then moves quickly on, then this is an article you need to read. I promise it won't be boring. |  | Become excellent at creating new opportunities | | The scouts have an excellent motto. It says simply “Be prepared”. Whether or not you have ever been a scout or a guide, this is a good attitude to have towards life. | | Incompetent people tend to overestimate their skill level | | Something interesting happens to me whenever I try to learn a new skill. I tend to underestimate just how hard it's going to be. For some reason, part of me thinks I'm going to be naturally talented at it, even though I have no evidence for that being the case. | | We're all just lost at sea | | Picture this. You wake up to find yourself aboard a huge old sailing boat. You can't remember who you are, or where you were before. You can't even remember what your name is. | | Perfect contentment leads to stagnation | | Have a look at how so many of us live our lives. We get up in the morning, go out all day and work, work, work. Whether in a rich country or a poor one, a good neighbourhood or bad, you can be sure that most of the people around you will be working most of the time. | | Find the right balance between improving your situation and enjoying it | | There's a funny scene in the film "Thank you for smoking" where the main character, a public relations shill for the cigarette industry, is asked how he can do such an unethical job. "Everyone's got to pay the mortgage", he replies. | | The world's best investment | | Many people don't think of it consciously, but much of our lives are spent deciding how to invest our resources. Families decide whether to move into a bigger house, or save their money and stay in the current one. Young women decide which man they should bet their reproductive potential on. Workers ponder what they should do with their holidays. And so on. |
New articles are being added all the time, so make sure you bookmark Paul's Tips and come back.
|
|