How will you know what you’re capable of?

Well, there’s only one way. And that’s to extend beyond your current boundaries or limitations.

There’s a sort of experiment that public speakers will do on occasion where they ask their audience to raise their hands. At first go, the audience halfheartedly participates. Some audience members raise their hands slightly off their laps, while others do so with elbows bent, just to show that they’re paying attention.

Then the speaker asks them to raise their hands a second time, with the command that they reach as high as possible. The second time around, audience members can be seen reaching for the ceiling with locked elbows and straight arms—a miraculous improvement of performance in a matter of seconds.

What happened or changed between the two requests?

The same audience members, but in some cases, a one hundred percent improvement in the results.

Why am I sharing this story with you?

Because I want you to think about where you are not raising your arm to your full capacity in your life.

Where are you only participating halfheartedly?

I agree that not every area of your life needs or even deserves one hundred percent of your energy all the time. And if you run at full speed all the time, eventually, you’d burn out. But where are the areas where you would begin to see more significant results if you stretch yourself just a little further?

You always have the choice in life of either just showing up and pretending to participate or committing to giving it your all. The one thing you might not realize is that the results you receive will be commensurate with the effort you exert.

So, think about where you’d benefit from a little or a lot more effort in your life. And if you think of an area where you’d like to see greater results, then commit to locking out your elbow and reaching for it.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.