6th Oct, 2023
Everybody knows that at
99°C, water is hot, very hot,
and we also know that at 100°C, water begins to boil and becomes steam.
Sam Parker and Mac Anderson expanded on this simple metaphor in their short book, ‘212°: the Extra Degree.’
They wrote, ‘Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine—a beautiful, uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed every endeavour—consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we undertake…. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences.
Steam is powerful enough to move a trainload of people.
Think about it, just one degree more—and hot water becomes powerful enough to move a locomotive.
The margin of victory in the Men’s 800-meter Race in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games was only 0.71 seconds—less than one second!
The average margin of victory for the last 25 years in all major PGA golf tournaments combined was less than three strokes.
The point is that it doesn’t take that much extra effort to win first place.
What could you do if you were willing to push just a little bit more and break ahead of the pack?
I am reminded of a quote by Thomas Edison, “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
While we may not always realize it, our lives are like that too. Sometimes, success is simply a matter of making one small adjustment.
One extra degree means a lot, that little extra effort can mean the difference between being a winner and an also-ran, The difference between achieving our goals and missing them, the difference between being just hot water and being able to move a train.
Too often, we give up when the goal might have been just one step away.
We finish second, when just one degree more of effort could have meant a world of difference.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the benefit of a thermometer that can tell us to keep going—for just one degree more.
Whatever it is you set out to do, whatever goal you seek to achieve, push yourself to do just a little bit more.
Just one degree more and more often than not, that ‘one-degree-more’ attitude will mean huge successes in your life.
And just like the difference between being hot water and moving a train, the rewards in life too are disproportionate.
Often a fraction of a second can mean the difference between an unforgettable Olympic gold winner and an also-ran.
You can lose a tournament final by a whisker—and find that you earn only half the prize money and none of the honour associated with being a champion.
Life is tough, one degree makes a world of a difference.
The next time you feel you’ve done your bit, or you feel like giving up, stretch yourself for just one degree more.
The difference can be magical. Successful people do all that is expected of them and then, they do a little bit more.
Make that extra effort and watch the magic begin!
Get into the ‘one–degree-more’ habit – The habit of winners
Harness the 212° principle,
Do all that is expected and then a little bit more & stay blessed forever.