Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes • This episode + article combo is all about a simple concept that can have a profound impact on your success and motivation, and it was inspired by Jack Canfield’s excellent book, The Success Principles. Click the play button to start listening, or keep scrolling to read the notes for this podcast.
In life the spoils of victory go to those who make a 100% commitment to the outcome, to those who have a “no matter what it takes” attitude. They give it their all; they put everything they have into getting their desired result—whether it be an Olympic gold medal, the top sales award, a perfect dinner party, an A in microbiology, or their dream house.
What a simple concept this is—yet you’d be surprised how many people wake up every day and fight with themselves over whether or not to keep their commitments, stick to their disciplines, or carry out their action plans.
THE “NO-EXCEPTIONS RULE”
Successful people adhere to the “no exceptions rule” when it comes to their daily disciplines. Once you make a 100% commitment to something, there are no exceptions. It’s a done deal. Nonnegotiable. Case closed!
If I make a 100% commitment to publish at least one podcast episode per week, for example, then it’s done. I never have to think about it again. There are no exceptions, no matter what the circumstances. It ends the discussion, closes that door, permits no other possibility. I don’t have to wrestle with that decision every day. It’s already been made. The die has been cast. All the bridges are burned. It makes life easier and simpler and keeps me on focus. It frees up tons of energy that would otherwise be spent internally debating the topic over and over and over, because all the energy I expend on internal conflict is now available to use in another area of my life.
If you make the 100% commitment to exercise every day for 30 minutes, no matter what, then it is settled. You just do it. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling, if you have a 7:00 A . M . television interview, if it’s raining outside, if you went to bed late last night, if your schedule is full, or if you simply don’t feel like it. You just do it anyway. It’s like brushing your teeth before you go to bed. You always do it, no matter what. If you find yourself in bed and you have forgotten, you get out of bed and brush them. It doesn’t matter how tired you are or how late it is.
You just do it…
Whether your discipline is to read for an hour, practice the piano 5 days a week, make two sales calls every day, learn a new language, practice typing, hit 200 golf balls, do 50 sit-ups, run 6 miles, meditate, pray, read, spend 60 quality minutes with your kids—or whatever else you need to do to achieve your goals—commit 100% to those daily disciplines that will get you there.
ONE FINAL REASON 100% IS SO IMPORTANT
This powerful 100% commitment also figures critically in other important areas—for instance, the workplace. Consider what a commitment to just 99.9% quality would mean in the following work situations. It would mean:
- Two unsafe landings at O’Hare International Airport each day
- 16,000 lost pieces of mail per hour
- 20,000 incorrectly filled drug prescriptions every year
- 500 incorrect surgical operations performed each week
- 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong account each hour
- Your heart failing to beat 32,000 times each year!
Can you see why 100% is such an important percentage? Just think how much better your life and the whole world would work if you were 100% committed to excellence in everything you do.
Bottom line? Being TOTALLY committed to your goals is easier—and a heckuvalot more conducive to your success—than being partially committed…
99% IS A BITCH; 100% IS A BREEZE.
Actionable insights:
- What’s ONE thing in your life that you’re currently just partiallycommitted to, but know you should be totally committed to? Write it down.
- What’s ONE thing you can do RIGHT NOW to help yourself get totallycommitted to it? Write it down.
- Go take action on what you wrote down above right now, or get committed to doing it within the next 24 hours.
Oh, and just in case you think about giving it anything less than everything you’ve got, remember: 99% is a bitch; 100% is a breeze.
PS: If you wanna take a deeper dive into the The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, check out the full book summary here