Here’s an interesting fact from the US Government:
During the average workday, most people spend more time goofing off than doing “real” work.
On average, 53% more time, in fact.
It gets worse.
When they are doing their “real” work, more often than not they are actually either:
a. Only pretending to work
b. Doing “busy work” with no value
… or …
c. Caught up in repetitive task “work trances” that produce no real results
As entrepreneurs, our figures are probably better than that. (Those of you with employees, though, might want to take heed) – but still, you get the point. These activities are only purposeless on the surface – there’s almost always a deep intention to trick the world into thinking that we’re living up to our true potential, our fullest capacity.
Do something for me — think really honestly about this and then raise your hand if you genuinely think you’re living up to 100% of your true potential.
I’m looking, but I don’t see too many hands raised out there. Could it be that you also have an intention to trick the world into thinking you’re living up to your potential, even if you don’t believe it yourself?
You may not think that this pertains to you. But I challenge you to dig deep here – and unless absolutely everything in your life and your business is going exactly as you want it to, unless you have no failures along the way — it could be you.
I think it could be all of us.
That’s scary. So, why would we not live up to our own potential? Especially when we, as entrepreneurs, have so much control over what we do and how we do it?
Maybe we don’t live up to our true potential because we’re rewarded when we don’t. We get to avoid pain in the form of struggle, criticism, discomfort, possible humiliation, discouragement, gossip, not being understood, being different. If we do less than we’re capable of, we don’t run the risk. Rather than face the possibility of pain, we often don’t act at all. We don’t move towards success.
It’s kind of a trance we can get caught up in, a lie we tell ourselves. It isn’t true, and it isn’t necessary.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Marcia ~
You could have just as easily entitled this piece, “The Safety Zone”.
I’m just as guilty as the next person in line. My issues with this subject are more psychological than anything else. Short of giving a dissertation, I’ve spent the majority of my adult life “settling” for far less than I deserve – living in the “status quo” you might say.
“Plugging away and plodding along” just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore.
You’re right. Entrepreneurs, especially, have a primo opportunity to break free and break through that barrier and live up to their full potential.
Thanks for awakening everyone and pulling us up and out of a trance!
Melanie
I’d love to be able to say that I am, but I’m absolutely not.
Not to argue with you, but I think it’s impossible to live up to 100% of our potential. Hopefully our potential continually grows as we experience more things, learn more, etc., and we always strive to reach it. While I could often do more productive things, what I do do (a large percentage of the time) has it’s productive reasons (or are they rationalizations / excuses?). Hmmm. Hard call!
Years ago, when I was still employed in the corporate world, I’d be working on advertising layouts and my secretary would come into my office and say, “I see you’re coloring again.” She was kidding, I think, but that really bugged me. I was being productive! It was my responsibility to create ads to bring people in the doors.
Perhaps “think time” could be seen as unproductive by many when it most certainly is…?
Of course, I’m the entrepreneurial type. And I have seen people spend time on fruitless activities at work a lot.
FYI, it’s a great post, a real “make you think” piece. Really wonderful!
Melanie,
It’s so easy to settle, isn’t it? To lull ourselves into believing we’re doing enough — especially when we can get other people to believe it. I just want to make the most of the opportunities I have, you know? Because I’m fortunate to have them. And you, my dear, seem to be “not settling,” from what I can tell!
Deb,
I hear you. It IS impossible to do anything to 100%. But I think it’s easy for entrepreneurs to delude themselves into thinking they’re being productive when they’re really not — and they know the difference.
Creative people like you (and me) function differently than ‘normal’ people, and getting the juices flowing sometimes means reading a magazine BEFORE you can even begin the ‘coloring’ – right? And that ‘think time’ is productive. Even that can be really stretching, maybe by burning your brain cells while studying the magazine, to create something new from a spark of inspiration, and then ‘coloring’ your heart out — instead of just copying an idea you saw someone else do, with subtle changes. A big difference. And – you wouldn’t be as successful as you are if you weren’t living up to your potential, Deb.
Nice discussion, ladies!