What if you gave max effort to everything you did?
From relaxation, to what you do in front of people. What would happen if you gave absolutely everything you have. But you do it across the board.
You give max effort at home.
You give max effort with your friends.
You give max effort at work.
You give max effort on that side hustle.
You give max effort in the meeting.
You give max effort during your naps.
You give max effort during sleep.
You give max effort.
You push yourself to the max.
I think about a car, and you push it to its absolute max.
Whether it's a minivan, suv, pickup, work van, Ferrari, sports car, right? You use it to its max potential. That Tesla is drained because you maxed it out…but it can always recharge. You can always recharge.
If you ever attend one of my training sessions, I always ask at the very beginning whether we're there for an hour or a day, I ask for max effort. In the military or as a first responder, you don't have a choice. You have to put in max effort.
But most of us have that choice.
I’m going to share something that might be a bit controversial, but I trust you. I like to take naps, but for that 15 or 20 min I'm putting in max effort. I'm turning everything else off and giving every single thing I have to that nap. And it fulfills its purpose. I’m refreshed and ready to max it out on the next project.
What does it look like in your life to put max effort everywhere?
If your friends or family are not getting max effort from you, how can you adjust that - even for that 10 min that you're hanging out with them?
Last night, my son said, “dad, can you sit and watch the movie?” I said, “no.” He said, “dad, come on, please.” I said, “no. I have to go relax, because I have to do this and that tomorrow - I have to put in max effort elsewhere - sorry. I had in my mind one direction I was heading. But he needed my max effort right there. Finally, he asked one more time. “Come on, dad. I mean, just think about it, how awesome would it be to just hang out with me?” Wow, he stole my attention and got my max effort. I turned everything else off and just hung out with him.
We have to be open to adjust, but when we give max effort, then we have options to shift as needed without feeling guilty or stressed.
Try to give max effort, because we don't have much time in each of the compartments of our life. When we give max effort, then people will know that we were there. And that's what matters. I left something that the next day, my son can say, “my dad hung out with me last night, and it was awesome!. That matters!
It's a work in progress. Another quick story - this time on the opposite side. Yesterday, my wife was putting max effort into rearranging this room, that room, and I was putting my focus someplace else.
But I could have put max effort with her in that moment for those couple hours. I could have built a stronger, deeper relationship with my wife and put in max effort there.
But instead, I wasn’t open and because earlier I had put in half-effort on what I was working on, I felt that stress that I couldn’t flex or adjust for what I now see was such a critical opportunity with my wife.
So, there are consequences to choosing half vs. max effort.
Speaking of reduced productivity and outcomes based on effort, multi tasking has become a major focus especially for the younger generation and I get it. BUT if we're not able to put in max effort then our productivity actually drops.
We see about a 40% dip when we try to do too many things at once.
But if we just give our specific attention for a little bit of time and compartmentalize that, all of a sudden we'll see our productivity jump about 80 %, and thus a leap in results. We will, in turn make more of an impact, make more of a legacy, make more memories, create more experiences when we just put in max effort in the places that matter the most.
That's my challenge to myself. To prioritize - even if that means getting help from someone else to do that. I need to step back, identify where I need to increase my effort, where I need to decrease my time, and then go full speed ahead and commit to putting max effort in the places I care about most.
I invite you to join me in this challenge. I believe we have a lot more to give. We have the power to shape our destiny, so let’s go out there and make it happen.