Your 100% Is Different Every Day

Something that passionate, ambitious high-achievers strive for on a daily basis is to give it their all. To give their 100%. 

The intention is good but the problem is, any time we give less than 100% we begin to judge ourselves. We question how committed we are to our goals and becoming the person who’s capable of achieving them. It’s discouraging to fall short of the expectation you set for yourself.

And the reality is, in today’s world, giving 100% is really hard. 

Unexpected things pop up in your family and work every day that suck your energy and attention. Our bodies go through natural rhythms, cycles that are impacted in known and unknown ways, that carry a certain energy or attitude into the present moment.

There’s a reason for the expression “give it all you’ve got”. Some days you have more to give than others. Your 100% looks different every day.

And with that in mind, there are two important things to consider:

First, a lot of what you ‘have to give’ is in your control. By making good lifestyle choices, you can do your part to offset energy drainers and protect yourself from their influence. When you can act with discipline and do what you know most serves you when you feel tired, inconvenienced, or overly busy - that’s how you can decrease its impact on you. So always do your best to make good, healthy choices.

And second, you must be fair with yourself. Be self-aware of the circumstances around you and how you’re receiving them. If you’re in a season of demanding work, choose to decrease your exercise commitments. If you’re on vacation, give yourself permission to splurge on some dessert. You're human and the variance is okay.

However, this all needs to be done with guardrails. Rather than slipping to the far extreme and giving yourself permission to take unrestricted action you’d later disagree with, you need to be clear on setting a fair level of commitment. Maybe it’s not an hour long workout every day, but 15 minutes of bodyweight exercise on a day when you’re traveling. And maybe it’s not having as many drinks or slices of cake as you want at a friend's wedding, but 2 drinks over the course of the night and a reasonably sized piece of cake to try. 

Evaluating what your 100% is on any given day, and how you want to show up in different areas of your life from that space, is a dynamic process. 

The way that I do it is I have clearly defined standards for myself: A high standard that is a doable challenge every day, and a minimum standard that is the amount required to maintain progress. From that reference point I tap into how I’m feeling, what I’ve got going on, and set an intention for how I want to show up.