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15th February 2015, 10:57
#1
Work Harder Than You Can
This is a realization that I have been working on for some time now, that I would like to share.
I am on the fence as far as whether anyone can really change things, and I am disinterested in arguing that point. Whether individuals, groups, etc. are actually capable of changing what is into what will be or whether they assist what will be in manifesting - both in my estimation - whatever will be, if it can be said to be an emergence will come of a potentiation.
Potentiate is among my favorite of words; it means a meeting of potential which involves a development beyond existing limitations and an expansion of capability to surpass previous achievement/ability.
The maintenance of existing ability - a stagnation depending on one's perspective - is antithetical to the concept of potentiation. Whether mental, physical, or spiritual, there is a refinement, growth, or evolution that comes amidst potentiation, and it does not come idly or easily; it comes of doing one's best, and specifically by doing more than one's perception of their best.
I phrase the idea - as with the title - thusly:
Work harder than you can.
To phrase it so, I am directly referencing that the conscious mind will and does regularly place limitations, expectations, and obstacles in front of what an individual is actually capable of, and that the most effective potentiation comes of disregarding those perceived limitations, etc.
Allow me to dissect:
Work
The idea of working does not necessarily mean physically, though if possible this should be included. Work involves and incorporates some form of exertion, an expenditure - or investment if you will - of energy and time.
Hard
Hard is synonymous in this case of with 'vigor', 'intent', 'fortitude', as well as a near-endless list of qualifiers. The general idea is that there is an intensity, a lack of reservation that is observable, detectable, and potentially quantifiable.
Hard-er Than
Not only is there an expenditure, and not only is there an emphasis, but that expenditure and emphasis is greater than previous. It is 'as compared to', 'developing from' as well as 'progressing beyond'.
You Can
This element addresses perceptions and the understandings that surround one's self. It focuses on previous expression while incorporating a developing understanding of potential. Let's bring it back together.
Work Harder Than You Can.
Exert yourself in the chosen field, specialty, subject, or manner;
To a greater capacity, expression, or degree;
Beyond your expectations, previous depictions, and calculated prognoses;
Seizing and manifesting the real levels of potential that exist beyond your wildest dreams.
In weight lifting, one of the purposes of a 'spotter' is to encourage and push one's self beyond the stopping point which they might otherwise entertain to achieve something beyond that level. This mentality - I am certain - is essential in an emergent philosophy and in an emergent society (the one individual, the other collective).
I'm not particularly convinced of the viability of communism for example, but I am certain that such an economic system could only be perpetuated by a prevalence of this ideology. Aristotle is credited with the phrase:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit."
Emergence, potentiation, or by whatever name one prefers to call it is not simply an achievement, it is an achieve-able pattern - a status if you will - that can be accomplished and maintained. This accomplishment is beyond what/where you think this is, and only you can find out how far.
So, I would entreat all who are reading to embrace the idea, not just for their own benefit but also for the collective benefit that can be achieved. One's best is far better than 'less-than' one's best, but one can always achieve more-than if they are truly invested in doing so.
Last edited by Shezbeth, 15th February 2015 at 11:03.
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16th February 2015, 22:11
#2
In my professional and personal experience, I find countless examples of individuals - young and old, seasoned and 'fresh' - with a predisposed idea of just 'how much' they are capable of; to a woman, man, or child I have also found that they are capable of far more than they have convinced themselves they are capable of. As an individual, I can readily comprehend why such limitations are placed on one's disposition. Professional environments are especially easy to grasp, as one tends to 'make the same' (re: hourly wages) regardless the intensity one applies; indeed one can be seen to be short-changing themselves by working harder/faster, as their 'bottom line' doesn't effectively change.
Not only is this readily not the case, but is an example of some of the more insidious agreements that one can make in their strategy of interacting with the world.
It is true that when one works an hourly job, they are earning the same wage/hour if they complete a task in 2 hours as they do if they complete it in 4. In a self-oriented perspective, one could assert that they benefit more from the decreased intensity that is met with equal earnings, indeed their output/input is more favorable if analyzed simply from the standpoint of work input to incentivized output.
Allow me to suggest that this mentality - while easy to comprehend - is horses hit.
When one makes regular practice of working under a lesser intensity, they are making a practice of doing so; they are beginning and/or maintaining the practice of 'doing less', from which predisposition originates. A preference toward 'doing less' develops, and over time the individual can be observed - relied on even - to 'do less' than their capability, from which expectations (both internal and external) begin to form. These expectations become enmeshed with quantum potential, and the individual becomes entrained to produce 'less'. Allow me to reiterate; I don't mean 'less' in the sense that what is produced is somehow inadequate, I am simply referring to the idea that what is produced is noticeably less than the potential output.
In a collective environment - as contributed by psychological and sociological aspects such as group/peer influence, reward/consequence issuance (in a hierarchy), etc. - the 'average' output decreases over time, as participants gradually learn new and effective measures to produce the same output with less effort. This can be said to be an increase in efficiency, except that the immediate beneficiaries are the individuals themselves as opposed to the collective of individuals.
When one is fixated on 'working harder', they condition themselves and apply innovation and learning toward the process of doing more, as opposed to the process of doing less. Doing more involves taking on new and larger tasks, whether it means the refinement and evolution of existing methods or developing new methods and approaches. The more one does - and the more one consistently does more - the more they acclimate themselves toward doing more, which has a comprehensive effect. When one pushes their own boundaries and thresholds, they develop (physiologically AND mentally) faster, and the gains that are achieved are reinvested toward doing more. In short, one's potential can be seen to magnify as opposed to plateau.
In summary, it boils down to which is preferable; on the one hand there is the perception of 'Good Enough' and on the other hand there is the perception of 'Getting Better'. There is nothing wrong with 'Good Enough', and it has a definitively viable place in one's cognition and strategy. Equally, there is nothing wrong with 'Getting Better', and can be said/observed to be constructive if properly applied. Both concepts have their time and place, yet between the two one is particularly more conducive toward both personal and collective evolution. 'Good Enough' is quite literally good enough, but it can always get better, and I would encourage, advise, posit, and promote the idea of 'Getting Better' as - if nothing else - the thing that overwhelmingly get's better in that event is you.
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777 (17th February 2015), Altaira (19th February 2015), Calabash (16th February 2015), Catsquotl (19th February 2015), modwiz (18th February 2015), PurpleLama (17th February 2015), Sooz (17th February 2015)
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16th February 2015, 22:35
#3