The Extra Degree

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Extra Degree

Ever hear the expresion, "Close but no cigar"?

Take a look at this from Art Sobczak:

This Week's Tip:
A Close Call With A Tornado;
How Close You Are to Amazing Success

Greetings!

The weather has certainly been bizarre in
many parts of the US this spring, particularly
in the Midwest. Tornados, floods, even earthquakes.

This past Sunday early-morning, at 2:30 a.m.,
a tornado hit southwestern Omaha, where I am
writing this right now.

I was not in town, and luckily, my office building was
spared, experiencing just a few downed tree limbs,
unlike some of the mature trees I can see out my window,
across the street that were totally uprooted or destroyed.

Other structures, just blocks away, were not so
lucky. I drove by a few homes where entire roofs,
and in a few cases, complete structures were blown
away.

Luckily, and astonishingly, no one was injured.
Which is quite amazing given that the tornado
sirens didn't go off until AFTER the tornado blew
through (the TV meteorologists are a bit embarrassed
about that one!)

And talk about close calls! One woman was asleep
in a chair in her family room, while just down the
hall her entire roof collapsed on her empty bed.

It amazed me how one house could sustain massive
damage, while right NEXT DOOR a house was
completely intact, without as much as a broken
window.

This all got me thinking about how little things can
make a big difference in our own performance and
achievement as well. I was reminded of a cool little
book on the topic that I reviewed a few years ago
when it came out: "212-The Extra Degree," by
S.L. Parker.

Here is what I wrote.

Go The Extra Degree

At 211 degrees, water is hot.

At 212 degrees it boils and creates steam.

And steam can power a hundred-ton train.

And just one extra degree of effort does amazing things
for us, too.

212 is a very uncomplicated, simple metaphor that
Sam Parker has beautifully described in his book
"212: The Extra Degree." http://www.just212.com/excerpt.aspx

Let's face it, there's no "secret" or easy way to
success--in sales or life--despite what the infomercials
and spam emails try to tell and sell us to the contrary.
As Parker points out, "...in many cases people will
actually work HARDER to avoid the extra effort than
actually applying the extra effort that will produce
the originally desired outcome."

Look around you. Analyze the wildly successful people
you know. Most likely you see that the difference
between success and just barely getting by is effort.

Action.

And doing extra.

The extra degree. 212.

Parker further points out that while action is required
for success, few people experience the EXTRAordinary
success that comes with the extra effort. What's lacking
is the COMMITMENT to achieve, not just a desire or an
intention.

Yes, little differences can bring major rewards. At the
Masters golf tournament over a recent five-year period, the
average margin of victory between first and second place
was 2.4 strokes. That's .6 strokes per day. But the winner
earned an average of $344,000 MORE than the second
place finisher!

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, the difference between a
gold medal and NO medal at all in Men's 500 Meter
Speed Skating was .26 seconds.

Are you thinking of ways you can apply this concept?

How about one extra call per day? Or per hour? (Do the
math and figure out what that would mean over the
course of the year!)

Why not one extra hour per week devoted to self-
improvement and education?

And think about how you can apply this to your
exercising, your family, your friends ... anything
important to you that you'd like to improve.

When working a muscle, the greatest growth
occurs as a result of the last, extra efforts...
when the muscle is pushed to failure and beyond.
It applies to sales, too. So, go for it!

(I strongly recommend "212: The Extra Degree," by
S.L. Parker. A short, quick read with major impact
potential. If you're a manager or business owner, get
one for all of your people. http://www.just212.com/excerpt.aspx )

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Effort only fully releases its reward after a
person refuses to quit."
Napolean Hill

Go and have your best week ever!