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Giving 100% Effort
Posted: March 15, 2021
One lesson we try to pass on to our students is to always apply yourself as much as possible. In martial arts we have many different areas of training. There is self defense, sparring, weapons training, katas and much more. Often, a student becomes drawn to one particular aspect of training. Naturally students put more effort into the things they enjoy. However sometimes our students put more effort into one area at the expense of the others. While we should put more effort into the things we enjoy, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of being lazy while doing everything else.
In the world outside of martial arts average people can find themselves in much the same situation. In college, for example, most students have some kind of job outside of school. Majority of these jobs do not directly relate to the students preferred career path. This sometimes makes students feel like they have license to slack off or not try their best at the job. Afterall, why would a rocket scientist need to be good at waiting tables?
This mindset is dangerous. The truth is when we apply ourselves to every task we get, we can only benefit. I call this the theory of 100% effort. No matter the relevance of the task, or job, if you give 100% you will find some kind of benefit. Waiting on tables might not directly develop skills that someone needs to become a rocket scientist. However it might allow that person to build better social, and public speaking skills. Both of which are skills that can make or break someone's career. So next time you are confronted with a task you don't feel is relevant, give it 100% anyways, because you only stand to benefit.