Less than or more than.....expected.
Which of the above do you chose when you perform a duty, task, or job? Maybe you are the type that does exactly what is expected......no more and no less. "I'll do what the job description requires and that is it!"
My intuition tells me that every human fall into one of these three categories. For clarity sake, I'll call 'us' either the Lesses, the Mores, or the Expecteds. We try to fudge our way into other categories with our excuses......books about those have been written and written ad nauseum. As a teacher, I heard them all....sadly many from a parent in defense of a child. Humorous books have been written along the lines of The Dog Ate My Homework or The Grizzly Bear Swooped Down and Ate My Paper Off My Desk.
You might think that the Expecteds are the most reliable of the three categories but I will argue that these people are actually the weakest of the three. The Expecteds' come with the attitude every day of mentally crossed arms and exude the 'just try me' mentality. These folk are the type that workplaces try to avoid because their position will never change. Worst of all, they lack loyalty.
The Lesses, bless their hearts, are Lesses for differing reasons. Some due to their own lack of self-confidence, some due to extenuating circumstances, some due to outside influences beyond their control, some due to low skill and talent levels, and some due to zero self-motivation. They don't deliver and that can probably be counted on each and every time, but you know what is coming. As a former professor used to say, to anyone who made a mistake, "You are very consistent in your inconsistency." There is a lot of truth in that.
The Mores are the salt of the earth. These may not be the people who are members of Mensa, or who will win award after award, but they deliver - daily, constantly,skillfully, accurately, dependably, without complaint, and their loyalty never wanes.
Less is not more. More is more, pure and simple. If we want to personally succeed, we give more, not less, and not only what is expected. I've been asking myself which category I am in.....in all aspects of my life. This is one mathematical equation - less than/more than - that I can understand and that I know the answer to.
Ancora imparo
