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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may be familiar with the fact that I love some words and truly dislike others. ‘Almost’ is one of the words on my ugly list. What I don’t like about that word is the mental limitation around it. To be clear, I’m talking about using the word ‘almost’ in reference to positive outcomes.
Let me explain. If I’m talking about something kind of negative, like let’s say I was leaving my office and took the stairs and almost fell down them. In that scenario, I don’t feel anything about the word ‘almost.’ Or, if I’m driving and the car in front of me stops suddenly, and I almost hit it; in that case, the word ‘almost’ is completely neutral for me. Since the word means “very nearly, but not exactly or entirely,” I really dislike it when it’s used to provide the final status of a task or goal.
For instance, I don’t like saying, “I almost finished my workout,” or “I almost finished that book.” Have you heard the famous phrase, “Don’t half-ass anything”? Well, it perfectly describes the reason I dislike the word ‘almost.’ Almost (when used to describe the final status of something), means we have half-assed the task. We had the intention to do it, but we didn’t complete it. Can you imagine investing time in reading a book, getting more than halfway through it, and then saying, “That’s it. I’m not reading this anymore. It’s all good — I almost finished it.” What?? Why would we half-ass something when we are able to complete it 100%?
Unless something extraordinary happens that is totally out of my control, I don’t have gray areas for using the word ‘almost.’ In regard to finishing what I started, I have a black or white mentality. I either complete something or I don’t, but I never use the “almost’ excuse like it’s a medal of honor for “at least trying.” I know, I know! I may sound a little extreme, but I guess we all have black and white points of view for some situations, and this is one of mine.
My morning meditation today made me realize how important it is for me to give 100% to everything I do. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I’m using a wonderful meditation app called Mindfulness, and they upload a new guided meditation session every single day. I was looking into it, and I found one called “98% is hard. 100 % is easy.” In this meditation, Cory Muscara explains how when we give only 98% of our effort to something, it feels hard and uncomfortable, but how everything changes when we fully commit and give it our 100% effort. It sounds silly and maybe crazy, but that 2% makes a huge difference. Let’s simply say that the 2% makes us get rid of the word ‘almost.’
In my humble opinion, doing something without giving all our effort to it carries no honor. I feel like committing fully to everything I do is the best way to show respect to myself. Doing so shows that I trust in my capacities. I always use this example when I talk to my team at work: “Imagine you’re running a marathon, and two minutes before you get to the finish line, you decide to stop because you feel you already did enough. You were ‘almost’ there. How would you feel when you realized the finish line was just two minutes away?” That would be a horrible feeling — at least for me! Why would I stop if I knew I had the ability to get there?
It’s true that we grow and learn through the process of completing a goal, and it’s also true that the glory is not hidden behind the finish line but is spread throughout the process. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the only way to feel that glory is by giving our 100% from the beginning. When you start doing something and you know you’re not fully committed to it, the process becomes painful, uncomfortable, and hard. But as soon as you switch your mentality and give all your effort to it, the exact same thing that was painful and hard becomes easier and more enjoyable. You have the capacity to change the way you feel simply by giving a little extra effort.
We all know when we are giving all we have to get to the finish line (whatever ‘finish line’ means to you). We all know how it feels to give 100% and how it feels to give 98%. So why would we give only 98% when we know we are capable of giving 2% more? If I lost a battle knowing that I gave my very best and more, I would never feel like I totally lost it. But if I lost a battle knowing that I only expended 98% of my effort, I would feel defeated — not by the battle, but by myself … and that is a feeling I choose not to feel.
‘Almost’ is equal to nothing when we have more to give, my friends. We must trust our amazing capacities and bring them all to everything we commit to do. Go big or go home! Whether you want to read a book for fun or complete a master’s degree, bring your best effort and fully commit to it. I promise you that your goals will feel a lot easier when you dedicate your soul completely to whatever you’re doing.
Love,
Irene
