Maximizing Our Effort

"In sports, the only thing a player or coach can truly control is effort. The same applies to business. The only thing any entrepreneur, salesperson or anyone in any position can control is their effort." ~ Mark Cuban

He's absolutely correct. Too often in our jobs we worry about things that are completely out of our hands. Why does my supervisor do this? Why is so and so not working? Why was that decision made on this or that? Can't they see they're going to cause more problems for us all? And the questions could go on and on.

All we can do sometimes is put our best foot forward and hope for the best outcome. The best doesn't always happen in return, which is why we want to control the situation even if it is beyond our control. In business, as in life, sometimes fairness escapes us. You have to learn to roll with it and work around the unfair hand you believe you have been dealt.

Too many however become bitter and angry. We need to refocus things when this happens. Examine what it is you can truly do about the situation. Does it require more effort on your part? I have to say that often when I catch myself irritated about a decision made in my job that was beyond my control, I find myself deciding I should put a little more time and effort in my performance. Guess what? Even if things don't get much better about the business dealings I was so concerned about, I find myself happier with things as a whole. Learning that I can't control everything in business, life, and otherwise has gone a long way in helping me focus on those things I can and should take control of.

So let's learn to control the effort we put forth in all endeavors in our lives. We might just find ourselves eliminating a little stress from our lives.