Most of the time, you go through life without appreciating the efforts that you or others do. Those sacrifices that allow you to experience or get the things you strive for.
Have you ever taken the time to think about it? Everything that happens in your life is the result of a combination of thousands of actions. Every day you make a decision which defines who you are and yet, you rarely give it any thought.
Part I
With every action you take, you consume time and energy that could have been focused on doing something else. As if this is not enough, every opportunity you get, it could have been given to somebody else.
Have you ever thought about that? This means that if you find yourself coming to the office on Saturday because you need to finish a report, you are making the sacrifice of not hanging out with your family or friends in order to comply with your deadline.
Not only that, but your friends and family are also making the sacrifice of not spending time with you in order to support you with your work. As crappy as this situation sounds, it’s like that.
So, if you decide to spend your night watching a marathon of How I Met Your Mother, then those are hours you could have invested in reading, working out, developing some kind of skill, or whatever.
It’s ok to watch the marathon, I just want you to be aware of the sacrifices you make and how your choices impact you and those around you. This is the first step to becoming more efficient and increasing your output.
Part II
Now that you are aware of the sacrifices you and those around you are constantly making, then we need to focus on your performance. If you look into your life, do you think you can try harder?
When you go to the office, do you go and do what you need to do? Or do you spend time on Facebook, then check your email 15000 times, chat on the phone, and so on?
It’s important to bring this up because, as human beings, we find it extremely easy to complain about everything around us but, are you really giving your best you can do everything you do?
It’s easy to say that the professor hates you when you come to class and spend all the time on your phone and barely study. That is why I ask you, are you making the most out of it? Are you fully, 100% present or are you just complaining? Do you see the sacrifice behind things?
Let’s take a look at it.
At work:
How would you honestly rate your performance? Are you really giving all you can? Are you recognizing the sacrifice that was made by those who maybe wanted your job more than you but they didn’t get it?
Do you think about those who would like to have the job that you have? How about the way your performance impacts the other members of the Team, those that depend on you? Are you coming excited, full of dedication, ready to give your best to that thing you spend 60% of your day on?
In your relationship:
Are you really listening? Are you 100% mentally present at the moment or is your mind somewhere else when you share time together.
Do you create space for quality time? Have you appreciated the countless sacrifices the other person does so that you can be happy? Or do you think that you are the only one making sacrifices?
At university:
Have you ever taken the time to understand the effort that it takes to pay for it? How about your grades? Have you been fair to all those people that would love to study but can’t afford it?
How about the person who couldn’t get in the class because you took the last spot and now he/she must wait (and pay) one more semester to graduate. Are you being fair to this person by getting the most out of the class? How would you feel otherwise?
At the GYM:Â
You manage to make it, now are you just hanging out or giving your best? Are you with your phone just chatting or focused on using each second you get? Can you do the same workout in less time?
Living abroad:
You sacrifice seeing your family every day, being close to your childhood friends. You constantly miss birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Sunday family lunch, and more.
You left your culture, maybe your language and your traditions in search of something better. Are you making the sacrifice be worth it?
PART III
It’s time to take responsibility for it. If you want to build better relationships, become more efficient and increase your output, then you need to start making your sacrifices be worth it.
You have no control over what other people do. Others will always do whatever it is they want to do. But YOU have control over your own actions and they have an influence on those around you.
When you sacrifice being at your girlfriend’s birthday to go on a business trip, do you try to make the best deal possible or just spend the whole time there wishing that you were at home? You are already there, you might as well make the sacrifice be worth it!
Figure out your distractions, recognize your effort and of those around you by making sure you give 100% in everything that you do. Stop throwing your time away.
As time passes by, make it a habit. Implementing this mindset into everything you do and soon you will start seeing the benefits of it. Â Not only your performance and productivity will increase but, you will improve your focus and the quality of your work.
If there is somebody you know who will benefit from this post, feel free to share it with them.
I want to know when do you normally feel like giving 100% of yourself and when not so much? What makes you give your best? Please scroll down to share it in the comment section.
Cheers!