STRATEGIZE TO SUCCEED
PC324 – Why Try?

       Welcome to the next episode of Strategize To Succeed™. Selectively applying the strategies which we discuss each week will help you as you progress from conditions to opportunities to successes.

       In today’s episode, we are going to focus on a rather fundamental thought: why bother to try or to make an effort? Of course, the flippant response could well be, “why not”?

      But, that answer, although seemingly all-encompassing, really doesn’t consider why it is so important to try and to make an effort. After all, the attempt could impact both the success of a project, and your life.

       I realize that such a conclusion may sound melodramatic, but it does have a weightiness that you might feel warrants your attention. 

       So, let’s give some thought to why you might want to make an effort to try.

      Perhaps the first question which comes to mind is try what? What warrants your effort?

       As a child, I often heard the admonition from my parents that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. The intent being expressed was that I should not simply skate over any project on which I was working, or homework, or any obligation which I assumed. I was expected to be focused on the task at hand, I was to be prepared, and I was to complete the task to the best of my ability. And only then, could I embrace the concept that I had made every effort to try and do the best that I could.

      Now, keep in mind that making an effort and trying to do the best job that I could was not the same as either completing the task or doing it well. And those standards were not the point.

       What was always required from me was a conscientious attempt, not a successful result. The point of success was not just in telling my parents that I tried, but also being able to look into a mirror, face my conscience and be able to acknowledge to myself that I really gave the task a good effort.

       That approach was so deeply ingrained in my mind that, even without any parental coaxing, the standard which I still maintain today is based on my effort to try.

       The question now becomes, when do you want to make an effort, and how hard do you want to try?

      Your standard can be discretionary, picking and choosing which projects will get your selective attention. Or, you can take an all-encompassing approach to expending effort and trying. 

       If you have no experience with making a conscious effort, I would suggest starting out with a pencil and paper.

       Describe the problem, task or project about which you are trying to achieve control. Note where you are in the effort and how far you need to go to legitimately accept that you have tried to the full extent of your capabilities to reach a plausible goal.

       By going through this exercise, you are evaluating your own priorities and belief system. Ultimately, this process becomes an opportunity for you to learn more about yourself.

      But don’t relax just yet, the thought process continues further.

       According to Dr. Fabrice Cavarretta, author of “How to Get Hooked on Making an Effort” (Psychology Today, reviewed by Devon Frye, posted on January 25, 2022), effort can be either the cause or a consequence within any given situation. However, she seems to support the theory that one’s effort is really a “self-fulfilling prophecy: If we believe in our abilities to accomplish something, we are more motivated, then we perform better, which feeds our belief in our abilities . . . leading to an ongoing cycle of effort-as-a-consequence.”

       Conversely, effort-as-cause is not sustainable. Mental resources wane, motivation fades, and “our brains lose interest.”

       Dr. Cavarretta’s solution is to regard an effort as cause and consequence jointly. Her reasoning is that the result which forms from this unified response generates “an addictive loop – meaning a drive to repeat behaviors that are pleasurable by themselves. . . hence our desire to make an effort, and hence more activities.”

       To accomplish this perspective, Dr. Cavarretta recommends that individuals create their own identity, a persona which they then share with the world. Then, in order to be successful when making an effort to try at each stage of a challenge, the pattern of behavior should become a matter of habit formation. This is because the brain “is a creature of habit.”

       Dr. Cavarretta also believes in re-forming a task into something akin to a game. Basically, the purpose is to try to trick the brain into a format which will have benchmarks and some challenge, but will not be so burdensome as to deplete the brain’s stamina.

       Finally, Dr. Cavarretta, advocates that larger tasks be broken down into smaller segments so that the brain can more easily handle the effort and “earn psychological rewards along the way.”

      Turning an effort into something pleasurable sounds quite reasonable, however, there is another aspect which cannot be overlooked. Fear is the biggest detriment to trying new tasks. And it takes quite a bit of effort to overcome it.

       In large part, you can convert fear into a type of game. Consider the approach of Kim Pratt, author of the article “The Value of Trying” (healthypsych.com, January 8, 2016). The game of “what if” seems appropriate for “people’s default response is to go to that place of fear and pessimism. Playing with a positive bias may free up some energy to take that first step in trying something new . . . most people can attest to the experience of trying something new and feeling good about taking that step, regardless of where it led . . . whether they change, there is something empowering about just naming it and putting it out there.” Forming what Ms. Pratt terms a “positive cognitive bias” whereby one actually chooses “to be optimistic and assume a good outcome” can also take on the effects of a self-fulfilling prophecy and create an atmosphere in which there is a greater likelihood of eventual success.

       Be careful about your beliefs. As Ms. Pratt points out, a belief does not necessarily coincide with reality. Here’s an example for you. While I am writing this podcast, I have just experienced a technical issue which challenged my belief system about my computer. This laptop is not brand new, but it is also not a dinosaur. And I was under the belief that it had more than ample storage memory available for my needs.

       Well, as I am typing these notes, I received a message implying urgency which stated that I have only 18% of my memory remaining. The warning message came from a vendor whose computer services I use regularly and trust. But 18% left just didn’t seem realistic. 

       So, I stopped what I was doing and went to my computer’s memory storage records. And what I found was very interesting. Instead of having just 18% left, I found out that I had only used a total of 18% of the total available memory, and in fact I still have 82% remaining. That’s a huge difference. And it all comes down to belief.

       The outside vendor has a vested interest in providing a low estimate of my computer’s memory because it’s not just being helpful, it is trying to sell me an additional service.

       The computer’s internal calculations as to memory availability, I would expect to be more reliable because there is no immediate ulterior motive involved in providing the sought after information.

      The takeaway for you is that a belief and a thought are not necessarily reliable. And, most importantly, you should not allow your curiosity to make the effort and try something, whether a business idea or a personal skill, to be tainted by a possibly unfounded belief or thought which your mind has generated to stop you from taking that first step.

       It would be a rare event for an initial effort to result in perfection. But, to try will increase your mood and help to regenerate brain cells. This can ultimately propel you on to the next, and greater effort.

      Let’s end with a quotation from Michael Jordan, the renowned professional basketball player:

       “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

       It is his ultimate success which is the testament to his lifelong effort to keep trying, and not allow earlier failures, or even thoughts of failure, to undermine the pursuit of his objectives.

      As a side note, in deference to the challenges of holiday travel, Your Mentor will not be offering a new podcast episode next week. However, we will resume the following week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. 

       Thank you for sharing your time today. Remember, your application of strategic decision-making approaches can result in more beneficial outcomes for you, both professionally and personally. Why not turn that process into your opportunity?

Copyright 2022 by The Bermaelyn Group, LLC