Mindful Monday - Why Extra Effort Matters

About This Talk

Most of us promise to give 100 percent. In this last talk of the year, Chris argues that 100 percent is only the minimum needed to keep things as they are, and he uses his decades as a diver to show why no one stays neutral for long. He asks listeners to do at least one more thing than they have to, in small moments as much as big ones.

Key Ideas

• A hundred percent effort is neutral: it only maintains what you have, and progress starts past it.
• As in diving, no one stays neutrally buoyant for long; something always moves you forward or backward.
• Chris often uses Vince Lombardi’s line that perfection isn’t attainable, but chasing it lets us catch excellence.
• Extra effort means doing at least one more thing than you have to, and the little things often count most.
• Effort gets spent either up front or later, so putting it in early saves frustration down the road.

“A hundred percent effort is the minimum effort to maintain any condition.”