|
Ken Chapman & Assoc. |
Close
Window |
|
|
Is Working Harder Always the Answer? I’m sitting in a quiet room at the Wayside Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour from Atlanta. I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life or death struggle going on a few feet away. There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy – try harder! But it’s not working. The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. The laws of physics will not allow it. The fly weighs too little. The glass, by comparison, is too strong. Nevertheless, the little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination. This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill. Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. I opened it. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature would reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this self-imposed trap. The possibility of escape is there. It would be so easy. Why doesn’t this fly try another approach? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route, and determined effort, offers the best promise of success? What logic is there in trying over and over again to succeed by doing what has already failed? No doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably, it is an idea that will kill. Trying harder isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a big part of the problem. If you stake your hopes for a breakthrough on trying harder than ever, you may kill your chances of success. Self-discipline and persistence are true virtues. Over a lifetime they can make a powerful contribution to success. They are fundamental to the development of your talents. It’s extremely important to apply yourself diligently, and sometimes, staying power makes all the difference. Ordinarily, you will find that trying harder only produces small gains, not quantum leaps. Also, keep in mind that sometimes trying harder (even a lot harder) offers little more than a straight path to burnout. Attempting to succeed through more of the same can blind you to better pathways. That better pathway may be no more complicated than just thinking about things differently. Simply stated: The answer may not lie in working harder, but in working smarter. For more information about Ken Chapman and Associates’ Leadership Development Programs, contact Ken Chapman at 205.366.0265 or kchapman@leaderscode.com. <END> |
||
|
Copyright © .
All rights reserved. Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. |