EFFORT: The Wednesday Word

Effort: The Wednesday Word is an interesting word.  It could mean everything but at the same time it could also mean nothing.  It also is going to prelude maybe into next Wednesday’s word which I think will be an interesting dichotomy or discussion about these two words how they interact and which one leads to the other.

etymology of effort (n.)

late 15c., “laborious attempt, strenuous exertion,” from Middle French effort, from Old French esforz “force, impetuosity, strength, power,” verbal noun from esforcier “force out, exert oneself,” from Vulgar Latin *exfortiare “to show strength” (source of Italian sforza), from Latin ex “out” (see ex-) + Latin fortis “strong” (see fort).

Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt. [Ortega y Gasset, 1949]

Related: Efforts “voluntary exertion,” also “result of exertion.”

Let’s see if we can tie “effort” in to not just life but sales and business

“Another component that’s required for success is the ability to estimate the right amount of effort necessary for you and your team to achieve a goal.  By using the exact level of effort necessary you will guarantee the achievement of these objectives.  Everyone knows how important it is to set goals however most people fail to do so because they underestimate the amount of action (effort) necessary to accomplish that goal…”

[ACTION IDEA:  Have you ever done that?  Have you ever underestimated the amount of effort required?]

“…setting the right targets, estimating the mandatory effort and operating at the right levels of action
are the only things that will guarantee success.”

So in your sales, in your business, in your life, have you ever underestimated the amount of effort required to reach your goal or your target?  Then when you realized that you underestimated did you keep going. did you keep pushing or did you quit?

Here’s what I want to do.  Let’s take a look at your sales if you’re in sales volume, take a look at your income and take your general satisfaction with life.  Got it?

What are your targets?

• What’s the sales goal that you have?
• Your business goal / income goal what is that?
• What is a life goal that you have?

How much actual effort (remember what we’re going with in terms of effort “total work done to
achieve a particular end”) will be mandatory for you to reach your sales goal, your business, goal your life goal.

Try this >>  I want you to do that exercise up there and once you have your perception of what you believe the total amount of effort is going to be required to reach those goals, I want you to multiply that effort by 10.  Come up with a plan to do THAT!  And that’s important.  The reason you need to have the goal
is because if it’s total work done to achieve a particular end then not just Grant talks about this but most successful people talk about beginning with the end in mind.  You need to start at the end.

Once you know what that particular end is…

And you recognize how much effort it’s gonna take to get there if you put a plan together that is ten times that.  Does that guarantee you you’re gonna hit it?   And let’s just say you miss anyway.  How much closer will you be?  Remember, when you think back about previous times where you’ve underestimated the amount of effort and fell flat on your face, that’s not happening this time.

We’re gonna go ten times that because if we read the last paragraph of the introduction from the book here’s what your Uncle G has for you,

The 10X Rule will ensure your success the 10x rule will ensure your success regardless of your talent education financial situation organizational skills time management the industry you’re in or the amount of luck you have or don’t use this book as though your life and your dreams depend on it and you will learn to operate at new and higher levels than you ever thought possible.”

And that is what I want you to take from this Wednesday word.

Start learning how to operate at new and higher levels than you ever thought possible.

Last piece of this puzzle, have you ever thought about “man I wish I was good at something whatever that something is?”  Then here’s the thing, I was thinking about this in the car earlier today.  I had just asked myself, how much effort have you put into getting better at that particular thing?

So even if we circle back to sales, business or life, how much effort have you put into becoming a master of sales, becoming a master of business, becoming a master of life?

EFFORT: The Wednesday Word

That is it for the effort now.  There is one thing one thing that is more important than effort
and we’re gonna talk about that or at least the goal of the effort and it is also the more important thing and we’re gonna talk about that next week…