110 Percent?

I recently overheard a conversation between two men at a sandwich shop: they were arguing over whether or not a person could actually give 110% effort. I found myself smiling at my ham sandwich as they verbally sparred. One man insisted it was possible. The other man said that anyone who gave that much effort would expire because the body would shut down from exhaustion. He said that 90% was about all the effort we could ever expect a human being to give.

So which is it? What do you do you think?

Here are my thoughts:
110% is a euphemism. It was coined to express maximum effort. I grew up with coaches saying over and over that we needed to give 110%. We never questioned if it was possible, we simply knew that we had to give our all...

The best illustration of 110% that I have found comes from the move "Gattica." Two brothers compete against one another: one is a "natural-born" human while the other is genetically modfied to have greater strength and stamina. In their competition, they swim out into the ocean and race around a buoy. Time and time again, the genetically altered brother wins...but one day, the natural born brother wins.

Years later, the loser asks, "how did you beat me all those years ago?"

The natural-born brother looks at him and says, "I didn't save anything for the swim back to shore."

Even when we give our all, I believe we have the capacity for more. We usually hold back, even just a little, for the "just-in-case" and the way home. Its part survival instinct and part wisdom...but the truthfully we never know just how much we have to give until we reach that point that the tank is empty and circumstances do not let us stop.

110% simply becomes that point where you run yourself to where you think you have nothing left to give, only to discover that you do. 110% is that moment where we think we have reached our breaking point, yet we don't break. 110% is that moment when we transcend our own pre-conceived notion of our limits and then push beyond them.

Never forget: you are stronger, more powerful, and more capable than you think.