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| The Effort Scale |
All too often we lose sight of the possibilities that are right in front of us. We spend so much time thinking about issues, challenges, and questions, in order words things we "can't do," that we seldom view our options, or things that we "can do." One of the things that we have at our disposal at any point in time is our effort. But how often are we fully aware of how much effort we are exerting, or could potentially put forth?
Prolific author Stephen King once wrote that “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
But how much effort does one need to accomplish a goal that requires hard work?
The answer to that question, of course, depends on the situation. Rest assured that the degree of effort required is generally associated with the level of difficulty to answer the question. In short, easy questions require little effort. More difficult questions require a significant amount of effort.
An illustration such as the Effort Scale explains that your level of energy spans the spectrum from effortless on one end to maximum effort on the other. Anything we do in life has a level of effort associated with it.
In the adjacent video interview with successful entrepreneur and business mogul Mark Cuban, he believes that "The one constant you have control over is effort." Despite all of the distractions around you, the one constant you have control over is your effort. When large issues cloud your vision it is easy to forget that effort is still within your potential.
Directly linked to your level of effort is your physical and cerebral energy. If you are physically or mentally drained from some other situation that will have a negative impact on your level of energy. For example, if the situation requires you to put forth levels of very hard, extremely hard, or maximum strength effort, and you failed to get enough sleep the night before, it will be difficult, if not impossible to move forward with the requisite level of effort.
Additionally, if you are constantly reminding yourself of something that happened in the past, a situation that you have no control over, then such mental preoccupation can also have a negative impact on your ability to apply the level of effort required.
The application and management of effort is also directly related to your ability to maximize opportunities. Do you understand the relationship between your level of effort and personal or professional opportunities.
Inventor Thomas Edison understood that "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Work takes effort. To identify opportunities one needs to be prepared and work as hard as possible. Generating high degrees of effort will often result in creating more opportunities. It is also important to realize that the harder the work generally the more effort required.
To identify and take advantages of opportunities though, you must maintain a high level of effort. If your level of energy is at the low end of the spectrum, where you put almost no effort, very light, or light amounts of effort, then it will be very challenging to successfully navigate opportunities.
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Questions to Consider:
- Are you aware of the level of effort you are exerting compared to what is required of a specific situation?
- What are you doing to maintain a high level of energy in order to apply the level of effort required in a specific situation?
- How do you define hard work? Do you agree with author Stephen King that “what separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work?”
- Do you believe, as Mark Cuban observed, that “the one constant you have control over is effort?"
- Reflecting upon your life, have you noticed that you failed to identify or take advantage of an opportunity because your level of effort was too low?
American boxer Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus
Clay, Jr.) once said "“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by
small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given
than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a
fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare.
Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is
nothing.”
The life of Dietrich Mateschitz exemplifies Ali's quote. Born to school
teachers
in Austria in 1944, his parents divorced when he was young. After
taking ten years to graduate Vienna University of Economics, Mateschitz
went to work for Unilver marketing detergents. He subsequently moved to
Blendax, the German cosmetics company where he worked on the marketing
of Blendax toothpaste.
In 1982, as a 36 year-old toothpaste marketer who
suffered from jet lag in Thailand, Mateschitz discovered a local drink
Krating Daeng (Red Bull). Krating Daeng is a non-carbonated energy drink
popular in Thailand, based on the Japanese energy drink Lipovitan, and
South Korea's Bacchus-F, which were imported into the country. Its
ingredients include water, cane sugar, caffeine, taurine, inositol and
B-vitamins. In addition to Krating Daeng being a jet lag treatment, it
was also prized by locals for its ability to increase physical endurance
and mental concentration, making it popular with laborers and
long-distance truck drivers.
As a marketer Mateschitz believed it had a global appeal
and started negotiations with Chaleo Yoovidya, president of Krating
Daeng’s manufacturer TC Pharmaceuticals. In 1984 the two founded a new
company - Red Bull GmbH.
Before launching, Mateschitz hired a market research firm
to test Red Bull's acceptance. The result was a catastrophe. "People
didn't believe the taste, the logo, the brand name," he recalls now with
a smile. "I'd never before experienced such a disaster." Despite being
told it was impossible to sell Red Bull as he envisioned, he ignored
the recommendations, and went on with his project.
In 1987 the first can of Red Bull went on sale in
Austria. The main difference in the European and global formulation is
that unlike it Thai forerunner, it is carbonated and contains the amino
acid taurine. Two years later Red Bull went on sale in Hungary and
Slovenia
To help market Red Bull, Mateschitz came up with the idea
of a “Flugtag” (air show) in 1991. With Red Bull enthusiasts
demonstrating their innovative, yet not always successful, attempts at
flying, the tag line "It gives you wings," eventually helped Red Bull
spread around the globe.
In 1997 Red Bull entered the U.S. market. Whether it's
by sponsored air races, helicopters or extreme sports, Red Bull's brand
has become synonymous with going big and going fast. Red Bull's brand
message has been received well by young consumers around the world,
promising that if you drink Red Bull, you'll be seen as a
self-confident, unpredictable, edgy non-conformist. You become part of
the "counterculture."
As of 2012 was selling sells upwards of 4 billion cans
each year and dominates its main competitors Monster and Rockstar with a
40 percent market share. Red Bull now has a presence in more than 160
countries around the world and it employs around 8,000
And the one who was told it was impossible to sell Red
Bull around the globe...yea has an estimated net worth of $5 billion.
Not bad for someone who started out selling toothpaste, ignored the
experts, and figured out a way to launch a global brand.
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Questions:
- Has anyone ever told you something you wanted to do was impossible? If so, how did you respond?
- Why do you think some people tell others that something is impossible?
- Have you ever told someone that what they wanted to do was impossible? If so, why?
- What lessons can you apply from Mateschitz's story to your own life?
Resources:
- Kirn Bhasin, “How
Dietrich Mateschitz Ignored The Haters And Created The Top Energy Drink On The
Planet,” Business Insider, February 15, 2012.
- Ty Montague, How to Combine Story and Action to Transform Your Business (2013)
- Dietrich Mateschitz, Wikipedia
Mark Twain noted that "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the
day you find out why." The sad reality is that too many people fail to realize this.
Getting
caught up in the routine of life, blaming others for their situation,
or working at a miserable job blind people to the real pursuit of
finding out why they were born.
This
takes tremendous effort. Living a life without purpose is exhausting.
Understanding that is critical to figuring out why you were born.
Navigating
life while discovering one's purpose for being born is perhaps the most
difficult of tasks. But it is certainly one of the most valuable.
Questions to Consider:
- How much energy do you spend on finding out why you were born?
- What have you done lately to help yourself understand why you were born?
- It's not too late to identify your purpose. Do you agree?
