Why You Operate
at a Sub-Optimal Level
Subject: Sub-optimal,
Potential, Career, Success, Risk
By Victor Antonio
I heard a story the other day I’d like to
share with you. Perhaps you’ve heard it...
A man decides he wants to build a
magnificent house. He hires a contractor and tells the man to
build the most spectacular house he can build.
“Don’t worry about the cost.” said the
man. “I will be back in one year and will then reimburse you for
whatever material expenses and cost of labor it takes to build this
magnificent house.”
The contractor agrees and the stranger is
off to return in one year. The contractor gives the project some
thought but decides to put it off for a while before starting. He
figures he has plenty of time to build this magnificent house.
As the months pass the stranger realizes
he’s running out of time if he's going to complete the house on
schedule. He decides to finally get started by going out and buying the
materials needed. But, instead of buying the best material money could
buy as he was instructed, he uses cheap materials that are readily
available. In a rush to finish on time he also decides to cut a few
corners here and there thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal. After a lot
of patching and fixing to keep thing together he is done.
One year later to the date, the stranger
shows up to view his magnificent house. He looks at the house the
contractor has built and asks, “Did you build the house with the finest
material? Did you hire the best labor money could buy? Would you
say this is a magnificent house?
The contractor, not ready to admit that
he took some shortcuts with labor and building materials, responded
confidently, “Absolutely. It is the finest house anyone can live in.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you feel that
way.” said the stranger “Because I’m giving you this house for you to
live in.”
The contractor is stunned not only by the
man's generosity but also by the reality that the house is less than
magnificent. Would the contractor have taken more time and used better
material if he knew the house would be his in the end? Of course he
would’ve!
 Replace the house with your life. Are you
building the type of life you want or are you still building for someone
else? If you have a job you don’t like, you are no different than the
contractor who is building a ‘magnificent’ house (business) for someone
else. When we build for others, we don’t give 100% of ourselves to
the task at hand; that’s human nature. And when we don’t give 100% we
never attain the level of achievement we hope for because we can’t get
excited about building someone else’s house.
Our inability to give it our all leads to
mediocrity. Mediocrity over time is never rewarded or recognized. The
lack of reward or recognition leads us to believe that we aren’t worthy
(i.e., worthless). Once we talk ourselves into believing we’re not
worthy because nothing good ever happens to us, our self-esteem
suffers. Once our self-esteem is sapped, we are no longer motivated to
make any changes in our lives.
But here’s the rub-if you’re
feeling depressed about your job because you feel inadequate, I’m here
to tell you that it’s not YOU. It’s the situation you find
yourself in that is creating an inadequate you. As long as you continue
to build someone else’s house, you will never give 100%. You will
always operate at a sub-optimal level
(i.e., below your potential). But it’s not because YOU are sub-optimal,
it’s because you are not building your house (i.e., your desired life)
and find yourself in a sub-optimal circumstance.
It’s a vicious cycle if you think about
it.
When you work for someone else, you will
never realize your full potential. And as long as you operate at
sub-optimal potential, you will always fall short of being great.
Falling short consistently reinforces in you that belief that you
‘really are’ sub-optimal. In other words, your situation is causing you
to behave in a manner that reinforces your feelings of inadequacy. But
it’s not YOU! It’s the situation you find yourself in that is making
your efforts mediocre.
If the stranger had told the contractor
that the house would be his after it was built, I can assure you the
contractor would studied, planned and executed with a high degree of
efficiency an architectural extravaganza. He would’ve made every aspect
of the house magnificent down to the front door keyhole. But because it
wasn’t for him, he elected to operate at a sub-optimal level. The
outcome had less to do with intelligence or money, and more to do with
lack of motivation. It’s hard to motivate ourselves to be at our best
everyday when we know we are building for someone else isn’t it?
Three Don’ts
-
Don’t fall into the trap of believing
that you can’t do it because you’re not good at your current job. You
may not good at your current job because as long as you are building
for someone else and not yourself, you will always operate at a
sub-optimal level.
-
Don’t fall into the trap of believing
that you’re not qualified or smart enough because you don’t have a
position of leadership at work or you’ve been passed over for a
promotion. It’s not because you’re not good enough, again, it’s
because you are operating at a sub-optimal level.
-
Don’t wait for external validation to
believe that you can be great at what you choose to do. The materials
to build your own magnificent house are all around you. All you need
to is study, plan and execute your life changing strategy.
How long will you continue to build
someone else’s dream? I hope the answer is, “Not much longer!”
I want you to consider investing in
yourself. I want you to believe in yourself. And I further want you to
know that if you wanted to, at any given moment, you can start
constructing your own magnificent house (i.e., career, life). The
potential is within you waiting to be summoned by the right
circumstances. Take some risks and create those circumstances.
If you don't, you'll always operate at sub-optimal and never realize
your true potential.
Start building your house TODAY...and
let's talk one year from now! Are you up for the challenge?
Victor Antonio
“Success Happens for a Reason”
Please share this article with a friend who may need a word of inspiration.
Copyright © 2006 by Victor Antonio All rights reserved. This article MAY
be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email
address are included as part of the article’s body. All inquiries,
including information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio.
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